4B: The Underworld
by DaesGatling
Summary: After Mina Harker's death, and the dreams that followed, Emma and the others venture to the underworld to make sure everything is alright. They get more than they bargained for when friend and foe alike meet them and bonds are tested, broken, and made.Hades and Persephone's links to Mr. Dark and Dracula come to light as they struggle with their own decisions against the heroes
1. 4B: E01 - Entering the Underworld hour 1

Emma had expected the Underworld to be cold and isolating upon arrival, she epected something weird, like a neverending torture chamber maze that might never get out of, but as she sat huddled between her sort of boyfriend and her dad, she didn't expect to see….a version of Storybrooke as they arrived up on the same dock that Killian had docked on over a year ago.

But it wasn't Storybrooke, not exactly. Sure, there was the clock over the library but Main street was different. Houses were where they shouldn't be, stores were misplaced. Granny's was several blocks down from what it should be, Emma couldn't even see where the sheriff's station was.

Emma leaned forward to where Rumple and Belle were, "This isn't what I had in mind when you wren talking about how terrible it was over here. Why does the Underworld look like Storybrooke?"

Her dad glanced at her, "You're seeing Storybrooke?"

It took Emma a moment to process what he was saying, "What do YOU see?"

"A city…a village I guess. It's sort of like the one I grew up in…mixed with the one closest to the castle we were going opt raise you in."

"It's New York," Neal muttered, "But different. What do you see, papa?"

Rumple silently stared ahead, "It'll be different for everyone but everything and everyone will be in the exact same place. A restaurant may look like a tavern to some but we'll all see the same people."

A thousand questions went through Emma's mind, "So this holds everyone ever born?"

"No, this is a limbo," Rumpelstiltskin was the first to stand and step off the boat. He extended his hand to help Belle, "A purgatory. Hades uses it as a sort of net for those with unfinished business, it's a last chance sort of thing for those that don't want to go to the pit. They can try to change their ways, and if Hades and Persephone are convinced, then this will pave the way for them to enter paradise."

"Does it happen a lot?" Belle asked.

"It doesn't happen," Rumple said, "Most just end up in the pit."

"You didn't," Emma told him.

"I got lucky, Mr. Dark pulled me out of here, need I remind you?"

Emma shuddered, "No, you really don't ever have to remind me about him."

This town was a lot bigger than Storybrooke, where did they even start?

"Do you smell anything, Red?" Emma asked, "Anything that might give Mina away?"

"No, she's not close," Red glanced back, "Some familiar people nearby though ….somewhere."

"Is it Granny?" Emma asked.

Red swallowed a bit and nodded.

"Go," Emma told her, "Go say goodbye. Meet us back here tonight."

"Thanks," Red started to go and then stopped, "I'll come find you if I get her scent."

"Thanks."

Rumple went to stand with the others, he held the potion in his hand, "Ready?"

Emma nodded and pulled out the shirt that had been Mina's. It was the one she wore when they first met.

Rumple uncorked it and let a few sprinkles fall on it. It was a locator spell, if Mina was here, it would find her.

They waited with baited breath, waiting for the article of closing to rise up and take them to her, but they didn't. It lay there limp in Emma's hands.

"Odd," Rumple raised his hand and watched as fire rose from his hand, "Well magic works."

"Maybe she's not here, maybe she's in paradise," Charming said.

"No, she'd be here first, at least for a little while," Rumple said, "She hunted and killed monsters for a living. She died without saying goodbye to her daughter, and she found out her father had lied to her about his past. Yes, Emma, you can bet she had unfinished business. She's going to be here."

"Maybe it's not so complicated," Belle whispered.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, this is supposed to work if something someone owns is used, right?" Belle brushed some hair back and looked over to her husband, "Well, maybe the fact that she's dead …I don't know? Relinquishes ownership? You can't take it with you, you know."

"Maybe."

"Or maybe she's in heaven," Emma said, liking that idea a lot more, "Or whatever…heaven…is called here."

"So what do we do now?" Charming asked.

"The streets aren't safe, we probably shouldn't be out here much longer," Rumpelstiltskin told them as he put a hand on his wife's shoulder, "Hades won't like the fact that living people are down here. We can't afford to be seen right now. None of you will like who the sheriff is. You especially, David."

"Why not?" David asked.

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He had once been called Prince James before it was all stolen from him. Heh ad been young and full of promise for his kingdom. He had been the slayer of giants and would've been a slayer of dragons as well. He would've united his and Midas's kingdoms with his marriage to Princess Abigail and created something lasting.

But it had been stolen, because his bodyguards couldn't do their jobs and a peasant brother that he didn't even know existed took everything.

And he managed to wreck everything, didn't he? He stole a kingdom that didn't belong to him, married a princess that had been ousted from her own kingdom, somehow managed to take back the kingdom with the help of…dwarves!

And where was Midas and Abigail? Overseeing her marriage to some knight, he'd heard. And what did it benefit them all? A curse of slavery to another land full of science over magic. What sort of land didn't have magic?

It had all been for nothing. The things he'd done to try and pull them out of the debt they constantly faced, his war with the giants, his training to fight the dragon…. what had it all mattered once Prince Peasant bungled it all up?

And now here he was in the Underworld as a sheriff of this district. Not a prince, as his title while he was alive had been. HE had to WORK and maintain order to please gods that he didn't even know existed until after he died.

It was far more work than what it was worth. He reported directly to Hades and Persephone themselves, he had to bend and scrape to their children who were all now joining their parents on a more permanent basis.

Prince Peasant and his family had killed two of their sons. Persephone mourned loudly, Hades was quiet and the underworld was abuzz with the news that humans could kill gods. There was much talk and speculation at the taverns about how it could be done, but not one of them was brave enough to actually go up to the palace and try it. Hades was bad enough but Persephone was far worse when it came to creative punishments to those that displeased her.

And it all came back down to him, he was NOT Prince Peasant but he looked like him enough that people now maintained their distance in case Hades and Persephone decided to take it out on HIM of all people.

If his bodyguards had done their job, none of this would've happened.

Had he had HIS way, James would have avoided Hades's palace at all costs. However, he couldn't, not after he got word from Charon about their living visitors.

He navigated the palace easily. It was far bigger than the castle James had had growing up, with many wings dedicated to the numerous children that Hades had fathered with his wife over the millennia. James never bothered to go into the children's wings. The last thing he wanted was to be caught and assumed to be doing things he wasn't supposed to be.

The King of the Underworld and his family were sitting at breakfast when he found them. Hades was tense and grim, his wife sat there with sunken eyes and a thinner frame. The children ranging from all ages ate quietly so as not to disturb their grieving parents.

"No one summoned you," Hades said as soon as he entered the room. He felt all the eyes on him. Melinoë watched with interest, the others watched with either curiosity or boredom

"Apologies my lord," and how he hated saying that, "But I have word from the River Styx. We have visitors."

"Gods?"

"No."

Both parents stopped, they seemed to put SOMETHING together. Persephone stood and put her napkin on her plate, "Children, you may have your breakfast in your rooms, and I think it's best you remain there for the rest of the day."

The children muttered their protests, even Melinoë who was usually obedient to her mother voiced her complaints. They had been shut up in mourning for two weeks, they had been looking forward to some freedoms they were seeking to get.

"Enough," Hades snapped and gestured for them to take their plates and leave, "And don't listen at the door. I'll know."

They all waited until the room was clear and he was standing in front of Hades and his wife. It was easy to see how they were from the same family. Both had red hair and piercing blue eyes. Most of their children were of fair complexion as well, he heard. That was until they disguised themselves to go out above world and cause chaos for whatever reason, maybe boredom.

Melinoë was the only one to be born with a bit of a darker complexion, but NO one visibly talked about THAT.

"Half an hour ago, my brother, his daughter, her boyfriend, their pet Dark One his wife, and werewolf all managed to cross the river and enter into our world."

Hades scoffed and closed his eyes, "What, are they here to finish us all off?"

Something dangerous flashed in Persephone's eyes, "What do they want?"

"I don't know. They were quiet about that."

"So send them back," Persephone said.

James blinked, "You don't want revenge?"

Hades almost stared through them, "Of course we do. But our revenge will kill them most horrifically and while that would put them in this purgatory for us to continue torturing, we can only kill them once."

"And they're not all here yet, are they?" Persephone said and turned to her husband, "We have to keep the children in the palace. I'll not lose any more out of what's obviously dumb luck."

"It's too big a risk now that all our children are with us and they've somehow killed two gods," Hades agreed and turned back to James, "They're alive. They don't belong here. Send them back."

He gave a small bow and went to leave.

"Wait," Persephone started.

He turned, "Majesty?"

She straightened, there was a more regal look about her now that he hadn't seen for the past few months, "Send your deputy, find out what they want, and THEN send them back."

"Why should I send my deputy when I can do the job myself?" he asked, forgetting himself.

Hades glared at him, "Because if YOU, with your reputation go to chase them out, it'll just convince them to stay. However, your deputy came down here because he had a relationship with your niece. So if there's anyone that'll convince them to go back, it'll be him. Especially when she sees how well he's moved on."

"Are you sure you don't want them detained for your pleasure?"

Hades leaned in closer, "No. For a number of reasons that are none of your concern. Wake your deputy, send them back."

As James was leaving the room, he saw Hades go to wrap his arms around his wife.

And Mellinoe leaving from the spot she was listening in.

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Red was grateful that her grandmother's scent revealed that she wasn't far away, and she had no reservations about leaving her friend alone briefly while she went to seek her out. The smells here were limited and diluted almost, she would be abler to detect her living friends more easily.

She never got to say goodbye to her grandmother, it ate her alive those two weeks. She told herself over and over that she should have been there, she should have been at the diner when Dracula attacked it. If she had been, she could have protected them. She was fully capable of doing so, right?

Since she had helped kill Dracula.

She shuddered. She had done the right thing, right? Killing was supposed to be wrong in their world no matter what. It meant that you were lowering yourself, it meant redemption could never be achieved. It's part of the reason why Snow had spared Regina and now look what happened, Regina was trying to be better.

But Dracula had no such inclinations to redeem himself. If he was good, it'd been a very very long time ago.

Was her heart still darkened? She had killed out of vengeance but she had helped save everyone.

Did it matter? Was she knowing as low as those that killed and didn't regret it?

Because she didn't regret it and that was what scared her.

She knew what everyone saw was the same layout but it still looked different. Red saw what to her was a mix between her childhood village and the town right outside Snow and Charming's castle.

Her grandmother's back was turned when she walked into what she saw a tavern. Red was glad because she was worried she'd start breaking down as soon as she saw her.

"Hold on, I'll be right with you," her grandmother turned and stopped when she saw Red, "Oh no…"

Red understood the fear immediately, "Granny."

"Oh God, you're here."

"No, no I'm not dead," Red rushed forward, "I'm alive, we're alive, we came down here."

Granny took a moment to calm down and put her hand on Red's shoulder, "Why?"

The story poured out of her quickly, hurriedly, she assured her that Dracula was dead and Mina had died. She told her that she had jumped on the opportunity to come down here and see her for one last time.

"He died two weeks ago?" Granny asked finally

Red nodded, "Yeah."

Granny paled, "You're sure?"

Red's heart started hammering in her chest, "He's not down here, is he?"

"No, he's not. And I think that's about to be a problem."

"Why?" Red asked.

"Because if you're right and he died two weeks ago, something happened down here and there was talk…rumors. I was trying to adjust to the fact that I was dead and in this purgatory but once I got my bearings I heard everyone talking about the gods and something happening."

"What/" Red asked.

"They say that two weeks ago, a god died. Killed by humans."

Red felt every part of her body go rigid, "We have to find the others."

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Emma saw Storybrooke in this place and so immediately used the warped layout and Rumple's knowledge of this place to her advantage. There was always a phone booth somewhere in town, it was stuck in the 80's after all and if there was a phone booth, there was a telephone book. If she was right then maybe there was also a map and a list of addresses she could use.

She finally found one after an hour of searching. She rushed towards it and smiled when she found a phone book that listed all the addresses she needed.

"You're sure it updates automatically?" Emma asked.

"I'm sure," Rumple told her

Emma turned and turned and scanned the pages. There were a few Harkers, it was a common name but nothing under Mina's name. So she tried Murray in the hopes that maybe she could find Mina's father as well.

But nothing was listed, not Mina, or her husband or her father. Emma even looked under Stoker, her mother's maiden name. There were plenty of Stokers listed but nothing that rang a bell from when Mina told her about her life.

"She's not here," Emma felt a bit of dread. Had she brought them here for no reason? Was it really a dream they all just happened to have? Emma liked to read stories of weird things like that, maybe it was all just a shared dream. There were weirder things that happened, her entire existence testified to THAT.

"Emma."

"She's not here!" Emma looked pleadingly at Rumple. He had been down here, He knew how this all worked. Maybe there were other places, maybe she was in paradise and Emma somehow got it wrong.

Rumple went to move into the phone booth, "Then we have to find someone that will shelter us, we can't be put here in broad daylight.

"Maybe the fact that she's not in the phone book indicates something is wrong," Belle whispered, "And why she called us for help."

Emma saw Rumple frown and quickly turn a page, "What is it?"

"Nothing."

"Hey," Emma saw him turn another page and moved his hand to turn back to where he was. It was the J section, and Emma immediately knew what he was annoyed about, "Is Killian here?"

"He is. As is his brother."

"Well, he can shelter us."

"There are others," Rumple told her, "Granny perhaps."

"Yeah but we need to bring Killian in on this."

"Why?"

Emma hesitated. Mina had told her the name of her child's father in confidence and Emma didn't feel right divulging that to a man that hated him of all people, "He and Mina…..met."

Rumple narrowed his eyes, and then recognition dawned on his face, "Ah."

"Yeah."

"Well then," Rumple glanced at the rest of them, "That baby did have some startling blue eyes, didn't she?"

"And who better to help us than a pirate who hates authority figures, right?" Emma asked, "If Mina was safe, like you said, she'd be in the book, she'd have an assigned address like you told me she would. But she doesn't and you said she wouldn't be allowed the pit or paradise just yet. So where is she? Belle was right, this doesn't make sense. We have to find her."

"Messing with the gods is an assured way to get turned into a tree," Rumple whispered back, "Or a creature. Are you sure you want to do this?"

Emma had promised Henry that she'd be back that day. She looked to her father, he was tired, he was still weak from what Dracula put him through.

"You all have to go back," Emma told them.

"Absolutely not," Charming said.

"You have to, I promised that we'd be back by the end of the day. If there's work here that I have to do, I can't keep that promise. We can't have everyone else be here as well."

"And leave you in a world you don't know where gods are as flawed as the rest of us?" Neal shook his head, "I'm not leaving you."

"I'm your father, I'm not leaving you either."

"Dearie there's nothing waiting for me back there, you knew that when you brought me along as a guide."

"And I'm not leaving Rumple," Belle said, "You might need me."

Emma swallowed, "Well someone has to go back."

"Snow…. knows we might not make it back in a night."

Emma looked, "What?"

"It was a precaution, I told her it might take longer," Charming looked over at Rumple

Emma glanced between both of them and looked to Rumple, "You knew?"

"I knew us returning by nightfall might not be a possibility, but really we must discuss this as we get off the street."

"I promised Henry!"

"And you're more than welcome to go back and fulfill that promise, but as you said, there's work to be done here…. if there's even anything we can do. I didn't know that her name wouldn't be listed but I also have a general idea of how big this world really is. It's purgatory, dearie, it holds the undecided souls of every world spread out according to which world and which time period they belong to. Mina could be anywhere and that's even when her name is listed."

"But it's not and now our job is harder," Neal muttered. He bit the inside of his cheek, "If we haven't found her by nightfall, I'll be the one to go, but then I'm coming back."

Emma sighed and nodded, "Okay."

"Okay," Rumple looked at the address and moved out of the booth, "IT's a long walk."

"Guess we should do something about that."

Rumple waved his hands and enveloped them in purple smoke.

They found themselves standing outside a version of Rumple's Storybrooke house, repainted from its pinkish salmon color to a cheerful yellow.

From the narrowed look on Rumple's face, he could see the same thing she was.

"Let's hope he didn't shed on the carpet then," Rumple went to knock on the door.

No one answered, Rumple decided this house was his above world anyway and opened it with a wave of his hand.

"We'll wait for him in here."

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James could not find his deputies ANYWHERE much to his great annoyance. They didn't believe in cell phones or any other methods of communication and they always seemed to disappear right when the gods gave him a job to do.

So he cut his losses after searching all morning and went straight to the mayor's office.

HE didn't like Cora, he didn't like most people that were put head of him. She wasn't even a real queen, he heard she was a miller's daughter and yet she was put in charge of running this second of town

"Your daughter's new family has entered the Undersold."

Mayor Cora Mills turned in her chair and regarded James with, what was for once, an interested look, "Indeed."

"Yes."

"Is she here?"

"No, and neither is Snow White."

"Indeed," he heard the visible disappointment in her voice at all of that news

"But Snow's husband is," he told her

Cora raised an eyebrow, "Then find him."

"Hades gave his orders, he wants them sent back to where they came from."

Cora stood, "Yes, but he didn't say _immediately_ , did he?"

"it was certainly implied."

"Find them, I'll talk to Hades."

"Not sure you want to do that."

The mayor ignored him, like she always did (everyone seemed to), and left the office.

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Being in the house had been surreal when they all sat inside waiting for someone to come home, it was Rumple's house but it was cozier than they all expected. Not that his WASN" T but it was a bachelor pad and storage area for 28 years, Belle had more than enough work on her hands trying to turn it into a home.

While everyone sat downstairs waiting on pins and needles, Emma ventured upstairs to have a look around. The layout was very much the same as the house above world, Emma went to the first bedroom which was very obviously Hook's. The room looked a lot like his quarters for the jolly roger, he had a drawing of Milah posted on the wall, there was rum bottles, an unmade bed and extra hooks scattered on the desk. Emma went inside for a moment to see he also had a gun holster sitting on the bed with a deputy badge next to it.

With more questions than answers, she ventured into the next room, this one was more organized. Emma guessed it was the brother's room, she remembered Killian saying that he'd been a captain of the navy.

She also noticed there were two dressers in the room and two closets. Further investigation showed that there was no women's belongings in the room, only men's clothes. Both with different sizes.

She closed the door behind her and went to explore two more guest rooms before finding a more feminine room, this one had walls that were painted with more scenic views.

This was Milah's room. It had to be. Neal mentioned that she was an artist and this was the only thing that made sense.

Well if Milah was here, why were she and Killian sleeping in separate rooms?

She heard the closing of a car door.

Milah lived here, so did two men that didn't know who they were. Emma put down one of the papers she'd picked up and raced for the stairs. She heard the door open and startled yelling. She heard Killian's voice as she hit the landing and stopped when she saw him.

She didn't deny that there was…something there. She cared for Killian, and she felt he cared for her as well. He put his revenge on hold for her and while he died before she could sort out her feelings and he was now the father of her best friend's baby, she knew nothing could come of it.

"Emma?" Killian asked and took her in.

"It's okay," Emma told him and slowly came down the stairs, "We're not dead."

Before she could continue, he reached out to take her hand, just to make sure she was there, "If you're not dead then why are you here? Have you come to get us out of here?"

"Killian?" Emma looked up to see the clean-cut man that was standing in the doorway holding bags of groceries, "Who are these people?"

The dark headed woman's eyes met Rumple and she narrowed her gaze. Emma saw a brief flicker of doubt cross Rumple's face before he covered it up and gave a jovial wave, "Milah."

"Rumple."

"I didn't know you were living here."

"Yeah well I ended up assigned here after Killian died."

"Did you, indeed?" he smirked wider.

"I don't know what you're smug about," she hissed, "When you die again, they say you'll end up here too."

Rumple's smirk fell, "Truly this is the worst place imaginable."

"Who are these people, brother?" Liam asked again.

"This is…the is Emma Swan."

"The woman you love?"

"Loved," Killian corrected before anyone else could, "I made myself forget my love of her so I could get my selfishness back and use my love for myself to cast the dark curse."

"I'm still note entirely sure how all that worked."

"This is the famous Crocodile and the woman he loves; Belle."

"Miah's killer?" Liam noted.

"Yeah, it's awkward now that we're all in the same room together," Rumple said.

"Rumple," Belle warned.

"She's his wife now," Emma said awkwardly.

"Congratulations. This is Emma's father and….," Killian's eyes fell on Neal, a lot of emotion passed through his eyes before he bit his lip and cleared his throat, 'Milah, this is your son."

Milah stopped and looked at him, "Bae?"

Emma went to take Neal's hand. He was completely rigid, he wasn't moving at all, or indicating that he felt her take his hand.

Milah stepped forward and he took a step back, "I can't do this."

"Bae…I-."

"I'm not doing this, I can't, not now," Neal turned around and went to leave the house through the back.

Everyone looked at each other awkwardly, the full weight of what they all knew about each other fully settled on them.

"I have to go after him," Emma started to follow.

"Why are you here?" Liam asked.

Emma turned and looked at Killian, "We're here because Mina died."

Killian looked up, "Mina's dead?"

"Yeah, Dracula came back."

Emma didn't know how much that would mean to him but considering the horrified look in his eyes, he had to know at least SOME of the history between Mina and that monster.

"But why are you here for us?" Liam asked, "We don't know where she is….whoever she is."

"Because I thought you'd want to help," Emma told Killian, her eyes still on him, "It's important that we talk later, alone."

"No, you say what you have to say now," he told her, "Of course I'll help you find her but there's something you're not telling me. I can read you, Emma. I always was able to when there was something wrong."

Emma looked down, "It's better we do it alone."

"You can say it in front of them."

Emma didn't want to really break her word to Mina that she wouldn't tell. But Rumple had figured it out, and everyone had by proxy of being in the same room with them. Plus, Mina would want him to know, he was Lizzie's father.

"I thought you'd want to help because she gave birth to your baby a few months ago."

Killian's eyes grew, he stumbled and went to sit down, "I'm a…I'm a father."

"I told you you should've asked while we were alone," Emma saw Neal went to sit on a chair in the backyard, "Excuse me."

Killian took a moment and he gave a bright smile, "She had my baby? She actually wanted it?"

"It's a girl," Belle pulled out her cell phone, "Her name is Elizabeth."

She showed him one of the photos she had taken. Killian studied it and his smile grew, "She has my eyes! Liam, look! She has my eyes!"

"I can see that, Killian," Liam said, his posture was a bit more relaxed now but he still stood between Milah and the rest of them. Milah was surprisingly quiet, but what cold one say when the son they abandoned came down to their underworld house all grown up with the dad that murdered her, his new wife, and her son's girlfriend that her lover had professed to loving and erasing his love for?

"Wait," Killian looked up, "We're dead. Me and Mina are dead. He's alone."

"She's not alone."

"then who has her?"

"We're still in the process of fighting that out."

"But it's not us," Kilian looked back down at the phone, "she's going to think we abandoned her."

Rumple thought it was wise to refrain from saying this wouldn't be the first kid they all hurt and abandoned. The grief in Killian Jones's eyes almost reminded him of what he saw in the mirror after he let Bae go

A tear threatened to spill down Killian's face but he closed his eyes tightly and forced it back, "Mina's not in the ledger?"

"No.'

"that's impossible, we're all in there."

"She's not there, we looked."

"Even under the name Stoker? In case there was a mistake"

"And her father's original name," Rumple told him.

"That doesn't mean anything good."

"Obviously," Rumple looked at all of them, "We need help to find out who has her."

"It's going to be someone high up," Killian took a drink of some rum from a flask he pulled out, "Perhaps a monster she killed."

"Is that drinking really necessary NOW?" Liam asked.

"I just found out I am a father to a baby I will never get to hold and the mother of that baby pissed someone high up, so please cut me some slack," Killian sniped and took another swig, "We have rooms, we'll get them ready for you."

"I'll get dinner ready, I suppose," Liam muttered.

Milah waited till everyone was busy before she snuck over to the backdoor and looked out at her son.

"Don't worry, dearie," Rumple told her almost gently, "He's slowly coming to forgive me. He'll forgive you too."

Rumple didn't want to fight, he didn't want to snipe. When his rage cleared and he realized what he did to her, he had a very hard time moving past the fact he murdered his wife. They had both done wrong to their son, they had both hurt him in unforgivable ways.

"He's so….grown," Milah whispered and looked down at the photo Rumple put in her hand, "What's this?"

"It's his son, his name is Henry," Rumple told her.

"Why are you being pleasant?" Milah asked suspiciously

"Because you and I both have to live under this roof to try and figure out everything that's going on. As you can see, a lot of issues are putting everyone on a short fuse, I don't want it to be us that causes the explosion. Not when we have too many loved ones here to witness it."

"I still hate you."

"And I hate you too," Rumple told her without any malice, "But there's no reason why we can't be civil about it."

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There were crickets as the sun went down, it threw Neal for a second because he didn't think there'd be crickets in the underworld, it just wasn't something he'd thought about.

Emma came outside and sat with him, she didn't push him one way or another, she just sat there quietly beside him

"It must be a lot of déjà vu for you," he finally said and looked at her, "A father finding out about his long-lost kid, a grown kid meeting their parent for the first time in years."

"It's a lot to process," Emma told him, "Especially with the stuff over your mom."

"The point is that she left," Neal looked at her, "She made us think she was dead. We mourned her. I had nightmares for years before the portal happened because I thought the pirates might come back to finish us off. I dreamed that she came back and then we were a family…but it wasn't true, was it? She left us and never looked back."

"This is more anger than what you showed with your dad."

"I guess you don't remember New York that well."

"Don't take this out on me."

He stopped, "Sorry."

"I know. I know it's a lot."

"I mean, of course she'd be here," he muttered, "Her business would be unfinished. Getting murdered by your husband usually guarantees that."

"We can always go somewhere else to sleep," Emma told him, "We can find Granny's and see if she has a room."

"I don't want to ruin her reuniting with Red," Neal looked back at the house, "And we probably shouldn't separate."

"Okay," Emma held his hand."

"But I'm in no hurry to go back in there."

"I know," Emma watched him, "Are you going back to Storybrooke?"

"I realized that I'm not entirely sure how to go back. We were low on Greek coins and I only had enough to pay the fare back."

Emma cursed, "Well maybe Rumple brought some more since he clearly thought we might be here longer."

"Probably," Neal thought about it and then took her hand "OR we could use the mirror."

Emma had forgotten about the mirror that Regina had enchanted just in case something went wrong. She'd been too focused on everything else that went wrong tonight. She took a look back towards the house, "It's not so late yet. They're not expecting us until tomorrow anyway, right?"

"Right," Neal said hesitantly.

Emma went to rest her head on his lap, "I'm here for you though, I know this is hard, I know your emotions are going to be all over the place, but I'm here for you."

He bent down and kissed her hair, "I love you."

Emma thought it'd be harder to say it, especially after the day they had but the words were out of her mouth before she could think about it and what it meant, "I love our too"

She could say it was pity, he had a rough half hour or so, he needed assurances that he was loved and he was important after seeing the mother and pirate that could've been parental figures abandon him

But she knew it wasn't.

A lot more changed in those two weeks than she expected.

"What do we do?" Emma asked

"I don't know."

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"It's weird," Rumple told his wife as they settled down in the bedroom for the afternoon. Killian had talked about giving them the foldout couch and giving Rumple the end with the springs out but since Belle was there (and since that would mean he'd have to see his adversary every time he came downstairs, they shut them in the smallest room, "You don't have to be nice about it, I know it's weird."

"It's weird," Belle helped put the bed down, "But honestly how could we be surprised when our entire lives are weird."

"I didn't think she'd be down here."

"I don't think anyone expected it," Belle went to look out to the backyard, "DO you think he's okay?"

"I think he needs time," Rumple took off his tie and jacket, "But what about you? Are you okay?"

Belle was trying to figure out what she was thinking but her mind was so muddled with all the emotions that she needed time to sort it all out, "I'm okay. Just have to figure it out, you know?"

"I know."

"Are you okay?"

Rumple wouldn't look at her. He regretted what he did, immensely. He could never atone for murdering her in a fit of rage, and he couldn't say anything because that might be weakness. That might backfire, "I need a nap. I haven't slept since Emma work me up to bring us down here."

"A couple of hours should do the trick," Belle agreed, exhausted as well.

Rumple shed his pants and shirt and waved his hand to block the door from certain pirates and ex-wives.

Just in case.

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He wouldn't want to see her, she knew that she had hurt him too much for that to happen but she still sometimes came out to the hall for the off chance that she might see him coming up.

She had bungled it all those centuries ago, she had been selfish and she hurt her own son. She struggled with it for years, even on the ship she had cried herself to sleep early on because of what she'd done.

But how could she go back when they thought she was dead? How did she look them in the eye to tell them she had left and her son wasn't good enough for staying?

She couldn't. Killian had ruined that when he toyed with Rumple like he did. Milah hadn't told him to, she didn't even fully understand why he had. It had to be a male domination thing, she'd seen enough of that in her childhood with her brothers and father to chalk it up to that.

She found Killian's door open and she came to stand in the frame and watch him continually light up the screen to stare at his baby daughter, "do you want to talk about it?"

They didn't talk about things anymore, it was easier that way, "No."

He closed his eyes and ran a finger down the screen, "Me either."

Milah walked in, "Let me see."

He surrendered the phone, but his posture let her know this was a temporary surrender. She studied the little girl's face and big blue eyes before giving it back, "She's beautiful."

"She's perfect," he memorized err face, "Maybe it's better that I'm not there. I'd break her heart, I'd hurt her. It's what I do. It's better that I'm not there, right?"

"Is that what you really think?"

He looked back at the picture, "Yeah. But I still would've been in her life if I'd known."

Milah came forward and kissed the top of his hair, "Get some rest, Killian. We have a lot to figure out."

He looked up, looking more like a lost child than the man she'd run off with, "Don't leave."

And she wanted to stay, she wanted to pick things up where they'd left it all those centuries ago. But she couldn't, even staying here to talk was too much temptation and she knew he didn't want to talk. He found out he had a daughter, he'd want to feel something.

"I can't," she told him.

She left him staring back at the phone and shut the door slightly behind her.

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Liam was sitting on the porch drinking a beer when he saw the car pull up. He looked down at the beer but it was too late to toss it away, and his partner would smell it on his breath anyway

The Huntsman came up the drive, Liam took him in. He wore the same brown jacket he had above world, still wore the vest and the ties. Fashion hadn't changed much since their time period, "Sheriff was looking for you."

"What about?"

"Probably the visitors we have in the house."

The Huntsman raised an eyebrow, "This is worth drinking for."

"They're living. And you know them very well."

The Huntsman took the chair beside him and took his own beer, "Wait, because I know I'm not going to get the chance to say hi before you ruin my whole day."

He turned to give Liam, his boyfriend for the past year and a half, a kiss.

"Emma Swan has come down. She's awake now. The curse was broken."

The Huntsman took a few moments to process that and then stood up to rush inside.

"And there he goes," Liam muttered and took another swig.

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"She could have found peace," Neal told Emma as they sat hand in hand, "I was thinking that…maybe she's at peace but someone else was able to invade our dreams but get us down here."

"Why?"

"Maybe they want revenge for being killed? Maybe they wanted all of us gone for Storybrooke to be emptied? I don't know but maybe she's just not here."

"It's a sick joke," Emma told him.

"It is," he agreed, "But we can't spend weeks looking for someone that is in a better place."

Emma thought about it and nodded, "Let's give it a few days, let's check in with Henry and update him when we go back inside."

"If she's not at rest, I'm sure some of us will end up back here eventually. We can look for her then."

"That doesn't make me feel better."

"I think it just inspired you to stay longer," he teased, trying to lighten the mood. He kissed the top of her hair.

They heard the back door fly open and looked behind them with a start.

Emma felt herself stand as she saw the man that died in her arms, the man that she saw raped over and over again when she was in the maze of mirrors before Regina killed him, the man that she broke ties with Regina over.

"Graham," Emma whispered.

"EMMA!" there was a commotion in the back. Emma looked behind him and saw Red run out, "Emma! I've been looking all over for you."

"What's all the racket?" Hook asked coming down, "Oh hi, Red. You're here too?"

Red turned to Emma, "Emma, I think we killed a god."

 **A/N: I don't do this much, but a couple of things, for those of you still reading, thank you. I know this isn't as popular as some of my other work which is a shame because I put a lot of thought in this series. I'm ridiculously excited for the Underworld because of the sheer potential of the characters all finally on the same plane interacting for the first time. There's so much potential**

 **Also my Tumblr has a trailer for the Underworld if anyone wants to see a concept idea.**


	2. 4B: E01 - Entering the Underworld hour 2

One may not know it due to the obsessive desire for order in Hades office but he was a very busy man. Unlike his brothers before him; who drank and adulterated their way into bastards upon bastards while their worlds grew wild, he ran his own world like a tight ship. There were three levels of it. The pit, that barely required any maintenance at all, the Elysian Fields where paradise was, and what the humans called purgatory. Purgatory required the most work constantly. It was sort of a net he had built to catch people that didn't belong in either place just yet; it caught the shades of grey.

Unlike his brothers, he understood people were complicated creatures, full of sensical and nonsensical behaviors. It fascinated him, and he liked to talk to such beings. The heroes of old ended up here more often than one might think, they were tragedies really. They were capable of such astounding feats but also capable of the most monstrous decisions.

Much like the gods were.

Take Theseus for example; yes, he had killed the Minotaur that Hades now happily kept in his employ but his lack of thinking and broken promises had led his father to suicide and his love to be married to a god she didn't want.

And Hercules, well… that was a mess that could fill books upon books.

Then the time came where the world moved on without them, as it moves on for everyone. They were of an age where heroes were strictly good with no flaws and Hades found himself bored. No killing ever became a rule in some realms, somehow hearts turned dark. He didn't know how that truly worked. Was it a natural thing or was it some experiment that one of his family invented out of their own boredom? He didn't know, he didn't care, all he knew was that when time came, the broken humans were sent down to him to try and make sense of their tiny little lives.

It was something he found constantly fascinating, even when he was bored. He wasn't like his children that were old enough to remember Zagreus and what happened to their mother at least twice. He didn't want ot take it out on them for the sole fault of being born into Zeus's realm.

He also understood why his children thought the way that they did. Gods blaming humans for problems other gods caused was THE thing for their kind to do back in the day. His children knew they would never touch Zeus. If they tried, it'd just be more children for Hades and Persphone to bury. They had to punish him somehow, and so they tormented, killed and those that did survive were progressing enough to become enlightened on what sort of monster Zeus actually was.

Not that Zeus would care in the long run but he had to be hurting more than anyone over humanity's lack of trust and fath somewhere in that dark heart of his.

When he wasn't looking to understanding the broken damaged humans sent to him, he was taking care of his family. He and his wife took their parenting very seriously. Her father was her father who abandoned her until he wanted her like he did all his children while Hades father was Cronos. That was enough to be said about that.

And while normally he would be fascinated with the fact that living people had found a way to come down here, it was this group was unforgivable, they murdered his sons.

But now that they were here, he had to figure out what exactly they wanted. He could always just kill them. Zeus ultimately wouldn't care, but it felt like he was breaking his own set rules. He did not interfere with the world of the living.

However, these were his sons, the rules were different when it came to them. Rumpelstiltskin wasn't the only one that would destroy worlds to protect his children.

He was working in his office, mostly thinking about his next move when he heard a knock at the door, "Enter."

Cora walked in, he frowned when he saw the sheriff was flanking behind her. Without taking his eyes off them, he snapped his fingers. Two of his younger children: Felix and Anna looked up from their rousing game of hangman and immediately got up to leave.

"Mayor Mills, tell me you're here to ask for an endorsement on your future mayoral campaign."

"Emma Swan is here," Cora said, getting right to the point, which annoyed Hades., "Her father is here. So is Rumpelstiltskin."

"As I'm very well aware. Surely you don't think your sheriff came to you before he came to me?" 

"I know he didn't, but he also said you want them sent back."

"They have no place here." 

"They murdered your children."

"You don't give a damn about my sons."

"They murdered ME"

Hades snapped his fingers, "THERE it is, the true reason you're here."

"I had my heart back. My daughter was willing to give it to me, I could've changed."

Gods, did she think she was talking to one of the heroes that covered her world now? "Who do you think you're talking to, Cora? You and I both know that you with a heart is just as dangerous as you without one. How long were you planning to murder Snow's mother again? Far before you removed your heart, if I remember."

Cora fidgeted, "I do well as mayor. I run the things that you don't have to. All I want is revenge for what they did to me. For what they made my daughter do. You can return their bodies to the Overworld when we're done."

"They're not of this world yet and I have no desire to make them a permanent fixture here anytime soon. Facing them head on is apparently dangerous, Cora. Those here end up like you. Or my sons."

"So, you'll do nothing."

"Their time will come. And I assure you, they all will come here. I better not hear that you've disobeyed me. You WILL leave them alone."

Cora's face tightened. She gave a stiff bow and went ot leave.

"It would be unwise for you to throw your position in my face again to ask for favors," he told her as she left

Cora looked over her shoulder at him

"You were not given it because I felt you would make a good ruler as you never got the opportunity for. I gave you mayorship of this district so that one day I might take it away from you."

"Why should you do that?"

Hades eyes flashed dangerously, he felt nothing but disgust for the woman standing in front of him, "Because you willingly raised your child to be a monster, and it had repercussions that will never be fixed. You and Rumpelstiltskin threw off the balance. A world was torn to shreds. There were thousands dead or enslaved. All because you simply wanted power."

"And how are you different?"

He should cut out her tongue for her defiance but he would not have her leaving his office thinking that he was a hypocrite

"I did not raise Ichor and Erebus to be the way they ended up," he looked at her, "That was their own road. Just as you took your own road away from your sweet innocent mother."

Cora turned, fully shocked that he knew about her mother.

"What a tangled web, the relationships between children and parents, yes?" he said down and opened a view of the map, "Part of me wonders just how much of your wish to keep them here is because you know eventually Regina might come down to seek them out."

He didn't need to look at Cora to see her tense at the mention of her daughter.

He looked up, "But you don't have to think about that possibility. You won't see her. She won't come to this place. As I said, they will be going home very soon."

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No one in the backyard of the Gold/Jones house moved as soon as Red came come in announcing that she believed they killed a god. Everyone looked at each other trying to hope someone else would say something. It was certainly the last bit of news they wanted to hear while they were down in the underworld trying to make sure their friend was okay.

Emma was the first to process what she said, "What are you talking about?"

Red took a breath, "We killed Dracula two weeks ago, and down here two weeks ago something happened. They said Persephone started panicking and screaming. They said that word from the palace was that one of the children of Hades and Persephone had been killed by humans."

A few moments of silence passed.

"That could be _anybody_ " Charming offered unhelpfully, "In _multiple_ realms."

"Yeah, but it always ends up being us, doesn't it?" Neal muttered.

"We can't stay here if we're killing god children." Red told them.

"Gods don't care about their children," Milah told them.

'

"Hades and Persephone care about _theirs_ ," Graham said and gave another look to Emma and then one to Liam, "Which means you're all in danger and we're in danger for harboring you."

"And Mina's in danger because she helped kill Dracula twice," Emma said.

"Emma," Rumpelstiltskin's voice rang out, everyone turned to see him and Belle standing just in the entrance of the door, "We should draw back, come back when we're stronger."

"I'm not leaving her to suffer what might happen from angry grieving parents," Emma snapped, "You all can go back, it's probably safer but I'm staying. This doesn't change anything."

"This changes _everything_ ," Rumpelstiltskin came forward and grabbed her shoulder so that she'd look at him, "They are gods."

"Mortal gods."

"We barely survived Dracula," Rumple reminded her, "Hades is an original god. Persephone his sister's daughter. They are far older than anything Dracula might have been and infinitely more clever. We have invaded their home after killing their son, they will not take this laying down. This will be the first place they look. You will be endangering Killian, you will be endangering Graham. Do you REALLY want that after what Graham has been through?"

"So, we run away? We abandon her?" 

"I don't think we can help her like this. Not when we're on these terms. I need you to think, Emma. This is coming from me. I don't like the idea of her being tortured, She's my granddaughter. You know the things I would do to protect my family. Hades is the smartest of all his brothers and Persephone is an angry mother. You know what it feels like when your child is in danger. Her son _died."_

"He deserved it."

"Of course he _deserved_ it but these are Greek deity parents. Wars have been waged for far less than killing a beloved _child_."

Emma closed her eyes. All this information was making her mind tangled. She had come here because Mina spent two weeks in her dreams begging her for help. It had to be bad if Mina was begging her. She was being held somewhere, she was being tortured. If they left now, Hades could have far worse done while they were trying to figure out what to do.

And how would they figure out what to do. They couldn't kill the god of the Underworld, could they? The only reason Dracula was killed was because of the Horcrux thing.

They didn't have anything here, they would have even less at home. How did she go back empty handed after everything they'd been through?

"They can't leave," Graham said, "Not tonight. The sheriff…. who looks remarkably like you by the way," he looked at David, "He's looking for you. He's been wanting us to come in. We should probably come in and at least pretend we're looking for them."

"Like he's not going to know you're all here," Milah said.

"We'll set up defenses for the night."

"To keep out the gods?" Milah asked, "They're older than any magic you can do."

"Then we'll move," Rumple snapped, "If we're all too much trouble."

"Well finally I know what gets so bad you'll finally take the courage to pack up and leave."

"Yes Milah, _we_ will leave," he didn't have time for this

Milah realized what this might mean, just like Rumple expected she would. If they left it meant she'd lost the chance to make amends with Bae. Her arguing stopped.

"I'll make a decision in the morning," Emma said, "You can all go back now if you want."

"I'm not leaving you, "Charming told her.

Emma gave a tired look to Rumple. She knew he was right. They were over their heads down here and she didn't know what to do. She also knew that she couldn't leave her friend down here either. She was supposed to be the savior.

She wanted to try and sleep. She wanted to try and consult with Mina. Maybe if she went to sleep, she could see her in her dreams at least one last time.

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Liam did not want them there, he felt it was too dangerous to piss off the gods that employed them and allowed them to live in this place. No matter what happened, this group of the living would get to go home while he and his family would be her suffering the wrath of gods that could send them to the pit if they wanted.

"Killian's going first, I'm going to hang back for about 45 minutes so it doesn't look suspicious," Graham told him as he pulled a comb through his hair

"We're going to be the first place they look," Liam told him and pulled his own jacket on.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm picking up a second shift," Liam told him.

"And leaving them all here to go through our medicine cabinet and wear my vests?" Graham tried to joke, "What about Milah?"

"Milah's going out, otherwise I would stay here with her, her ex husband and her son from blowing up the house with their rage. I just got done with the paint job."

"Yeah it's so much better than the salmon and green. No matter what our purgatory looks like, the house is always salmon and green."

"Asked people, did you?" Liam asked in an amused voice.

"I saw that house for 28 years, I had to know."

"Right," Liam reached over and gave him a kiss, "Be safe. I love you."

"You too."

Liam left, locking the door behind him.

"Wooow."

He turned to see Emma staring from the staircase.

"So that's a twist," she muttered.

"Yeah," Graham watched her, "So, drink then?"

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When Prince James was FINALLY able to shake Cora to spin in her mayor chair or whatever it was that she did now that she couldn't do much of _anything_ about the intruders, he got in his car and drove two hours to a small beach that was hidden from the rest of the underworld.

The lady was already there when he arrived.

"My father once took me to one of the worlds above, it was our first trip together, I was the human equivalent to ten," he heard the familiar voice," He took me to see these waterfalls that the land without magic has. It's called the Niagara Galls there. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. For a very long while, until the tourists ruined it, it was our place to visit. He could create it here if he wanted to but it wouldn't be the same. sometimes I wish we had something like that down here, though I suspect the humans would ruin _that_ too."

Prince James bowed at the waist, "Princess Melinoë."

Melinoë was wearing a dress of blue that went down to her knees that reminded him of the sea She never stopped loving the sea, she talked on and on about since he arrived here and was assigned to be the deputy of this place and then the sheriff. When she turned, the fabric practically rippled. He wasn't sure what it was, Melinoë herself didn't know but she told him it was from one of the other worlds from about a thousand years ago.

He only remembered that because he liked the dress on her.

She walked towards him. Theirs was a relationship filled with tension, not even James was stupid enough to touch the god of the underworld's daughter. She had tried at first, but now she seemed to accept it and they had a working relationship.

"So, what's the plan in all this?" he asked, "What're you plotting?"

She gave him big puppy dog brown eyes, "Who says I'm plotting anything?"

"I saw you this morning listening in to what your parents and I were talking about."

"So were about five of us."

"Your siblings aren't half as clever as you."

"I'm sure they have their own agendas. It's just a matter of me implementing mine first."

"And what plan would that be?"

Melinoë took another step forward, "Do you trust me?"

And that was the question, wasn't it? The thing he asked himself. They had known each other for over three decades now and he didn't know much about her other than what _everyone_ knew. One: her true parentage. Two: She was easily the third most cunning of her brothers and sisters only behind Ichor and Erebus.

But he also trusted that she wouldn't let anything happen to him as long as he was still useful.

"Yes," he told her.

"Good," she placed her hand over his chest, "This might hurt a lot."

And she reached into his chest and ripped his heart out. He felt his legs buckle, he screamed in pain and tried not to think about those last agonizing moments of his life when that spear pierced his armor from behind him and went through his heart.

This hurt much worse than that.

Melinoë stared at the glowing heart, blackened by years and years of his misdeeds.

"You know what you have to do," she told him.

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They were watching him.

Liam Jones was already out of his element with the knowledge of who all were in his house threatening to rain trouble down on his family, but there were two very clean cut men in two corners of the bar pretending to read or drink. One even threw darts before giving up and returning to his seat.

They had to be Hades men. NO one this clean and well dressed came here, not to this hole of a bar. That might come off as complaining but it wasn't. He liked it this way. He knew and trusted the sailors nad dock workers that came in here.

He tolerated the occasional pirate

His current predicament was what he was considering when Barnaby, one of the regulars came in.

Liam had never said much to Barnaby. He knew who Barnaby was and who he worked for, that was enough to have him keep his distance. Barnaby's boss had also been sending Barnaby to spy on him for the past 300 or so years.

First Barnaby, now these two men, he had a surveillance target on his ass when all he wanted to do was spend a quiet eternity with his brother, his boyfriend and his brother's ex. They were all getting along fine, it was as happy a family could get in purgatory.

Killian was even starting to forgive him for the way he'd left him all those centuries ago. He didn't outright say he blamed him, of course not, but there was something there buried deep in his brother's eyes that said that maybe if he hadn't cut himself with the nightshade to prove a point then they'd have gone down a different path.

Liam very much wanted to stay out of all of this and be with his family but there was a part of him that couldn't ignore what was going on until it went away.

Without a word, he went to pour Barnaby a glass and pushed it to him. Barnaby looked up in surprise, "I didn't ask for that."

"It's on the house," Liam doubled his own drink of what he poured Barnaby.

"I'm dreaming then, surely."

"Yeah well it comes with a different price than money."

Barnaby leaned in, "I'm listening."

Liam sighed, "I need to talk to _him_.'

Barnaby leaned back a bit, "Three centuries and you've rejected every chance he's reached out."

"He doesn't really deserve much of our forgiveness, does he?"

"The story isn't what you think, boy."

"I don't care. I need to talk to him."

"Very well, but he's busy. I'll try to clear his schedule but-."

Liam took the glasses, "He will see me before sunrise."

"Just you? Not your brother?"

"Killian won't know about this," Liam finished his drink, "Ever."

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When Graham poured himself and Emma a drink, they didn't sit in the living room or the kitchen like civilized people, they sat on the intermediate landing of the staircase next to the door with drinks in their hands staring awkwardly at each other.

"So," Emma cleared her throat, "Killian's brother."

"Yeah. Rumple's son?"

"Yeah. You must be very happy."

"I am," He beamed for a bit and then grew serious, "Are you?"

Emma nodded, she felt tears prick at her eyes, "I'm sorry I didn't save you. If I believed sooner, if I just…accepted Henry's belief that it was all part of a fairy tale…"

Graham looked down at his drink, he didn't want to hear the apology, he wanted to hear something else "Is she here?"

"No. She's with Henry."

"Do you know what she did to me?"

Emma drew her knees against her chest a little bit. She avoided his gaze, how could she justify to a victim that she let his attacker roam free? She couldn't and she knew it was coming.

He took her silence as confirmation, "And you let her near your son still?"

Emma looked up, "I didn't have a lot of choice at first. Things just kept…. _happening_ and then she was still there and she helped a few times and I just…it just happened."

"That doesn't un-rape me, does it?" he demanded angrily, "It doesn't bring back all those that she killed, does it? God's sakes, Emma, she killed children. She forced ME to kill children."

"I know! I know everything she did! I saw everything!"

"So why didn't you do anything about it?" he demanded, his voice catching, "She killed us! She killed me because I chose YOU."

Emma sighed and ran a hand through her hair, "I have no good answer for you, Graham. There is no good answer. I don't even really want her around most days because I'm scared she'll attack us again. But she's Henry's mom too, she's important to him. Things happened and she was there, she helped us a few times. Yeah, sometimes they were cleaning up her own mess but she's ….trying to be better. And I know that sucks and it's not what you want to hear and it's not what I want to say. It sounds so stupid coming out of my mouth as I say it but ….I gave her a chance and she stopped. She got better. And what sort of person am I if I refuse a person a chance for redemption?"

"Some are beyond it."

"Yeah, I know."

"I hope for her sake she doesn't come down here. It won't just be me that wants her dead."

Emma reached out and rested a hand on his wrist. She wanted him to know that while she spared Regina, she wasn't taking Regina's side over his. She never would, and she didn't like that Regina got away with everything that she did but her family taught her about hope and second chances.

And as long as Regina played by the rules they set, Emma was bound by her own rules.

Without looking at her, which hurt Emma more than she realized, he put his hand on her shoulder, squeezed it and poured himself another drink, "Found love though."

"Yeah," Emma gave a smile, "I guess you did."

He downed the drink in one gulp, "Death is a terrible way to find it though."

Emma was quiet, she wrapped her arms around his and rested her head on his shoulder, "I really am so sorry."

He stared at his empty glass, "Yeah me too."

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Even safe and next to Emma, Neal couldn't sleep. The bed was comfortable, Milah had given him the best bed in the house, and he was so exhausted, but sleep wasn't coming. It wasn't their bed; the house wasn't their home. The only thing similar was that Emma was tossing and turning next to him, trying to get a least a couple of hours of sleep.

They hadn't discussed the mother thing, they hadn't discussed the god thing. They had come down here and they failed to find Mina to make sure she was alright. He knew the answer, he knew that she wasn't. If Dracula was the son of Hades and Persephone, Neal didn't want to think of what she was going through right now while they sat surrounded by his mother, his father, and Hook. All of whom had hurt him and all of whom looked at each other like powder kegs about to explode before moving to the next room

He didn't want to be here facing his mother, or Hook. This was supposed to have been easy. In fact, he was supposed to be going back to see his son right now but there was no way that he could leave Emma knowing that they'd most likely killed a god.

Next to him, Emma finally gave a sigh and rolled over to wrap an arm around his waist. His hand went to stroke her hair.

"I keep replaying that look Graham gave me over and over," she whispered in the dark, "I knew what Regina did and all the consequences she suffered was temporally keeping Henry away."

"Well, her crimes weren't the only ones you saw in the mirror that day," he told her, "If you punished Regina, you'd have to punish my dad. If Hook was alive you'd have had to punish him too. It would have been hypocritical if you went after her but spared anyone else."

"Your father never did to anyone what she did to Graham," Emma looked at him in the darkness, "Right?"

That unknown fear clenched I his stomach as he thought about it. He knew his father had been in a dark place several times. Neal wanted to say no, he wanted to say that his father would never do such a terrible thing but how could he be sure? "I hope not. You'd know more than me, you saw in the mirror."

Emma rested her head back on his shoulder, "I know."

"But he murdered my mother, so, I mean…you'd be having to punish him too. You don't have foresight, Emma. You did your best with what you had."

"I'm always too lenient now. It's why we held on to Alina instead of killing her. If we'd done what Mina wanted to, both would be dead and Mina would still be alive."

"You're talking about cold blooded execution."

"I know! I just- what good are rules and morals if no matter what we end up _here?_ No matter what we do, if we have just enough good or however it works, we all end up risking going to the same place when we die? What's the point if it gets people killed? Did I do the right thing in sparing Alina when it led to Dracula getting resurrected, my dad getting captured, and Mina dying?"

"I don't know," he whispered, "But if you had listened to Mina and you HAD killed Alina and we'd gotten rid of Dracula before he could get that powerful …. I don't think you'd have ever forgiven yourself for that. And since you wouldn't have known that a lot of people we know might end up here, you'd have had that guilt eating away at you for the rest of your life."

Emma was thoughtful, "She'd still be alive though, and so would have everyone else he killed."

"You wouldn't have known that."

"I would've known it could've saved lives. It cost the dwarves their brother, and Red her grandmother. So many people died and it's my fault because I wanted to be good and not right."

Neal lay there for a few more moments, "I wish I knew what to tell you, Emma."

"I'm tired of trying to do the right thing and it backfires with worse consequences. It's all I can think about."

With that, Neal threw the covers back, "Then let's take a walk."

"Now?" she looked around, "Neal, but-."

He reached for his pants, "Just to get out and think. We don't have Henry to think about leaving alone down here and we don't have to worry about leaving Lizzie. We can just get out of here."

"Hades has people looking for us. They could be watching the house."

"We have two of the deputies living here and there's no way that Hades doesn't know we're here. Where else would we go? We'll leave a note just in case someone wakes up."

Emma bit the inside of her cheek, "You know what? Yeah, okay."

She threw the covers back and went to dress.

It was a matter of moments both of them were dressed and heading out the door, it was lovely warm night for a…wherever they were.

"So, do you think this is a separate world that all the worlds are connected to?" Neal asked as they walked hand in hand down the street, "Or….is it something else?

"I'm still trying to wrap my mind about the fact that several worlds exist and they're somehow…. crammed all in here."

"Maybe for most it's the pit or Elysium," Neal said, "Maybe Purgatory is the minority of people end up here."

"Or Purgatory is really really _really_ big. Have you seen a map?"

"No. But if it is as big as all that, Mina could be anywhere. Maybe Hades isn't that bad, maybe we should just go to the palace and ask."

"Papa says meeting them isn't a pleasant experience. Plus, would YOU help anyone that killed Henry?

"Henry wouldn't destroy countless lives like Dracula did. He had it coming when we were trying to defend ourselves."

"Tell an angry mourning father that."

"Bae?"

Neal froze when he heard his mother's voice. He felt his heart racing when he saw her coming towards him. He looked at his girlfriend and tried to find some sort of alley to cut behind. There were none, they were on a better side of town.

He refused to look at his mother as she came up. When he was a kid, he had always hoped for this, that he might see his mother again who wanted to talk to him. He had hoped that maybe there was some mistake and his father was wrong. now that he was older and he realized what she had done, he lost interest.

He wasn't good enough for her to stay, why should he listen to what she had to say now?

"Neal?" he heard Emma's concern.

"I don't want to talk to her," he whispered back.

He saw the hesitation in her eyes, but then there came the same determination to support him, "Okay."

"Bae," Milah came forward, "I just…do you have a minute? I want to explain, if you'll please just listen-."

'I don't want to talk to you," he told her, "You left. You never came back. I don't owe you anything."

"I _wanted_ to come back."

"Yeah, well why didn't you then?"

"Killian-," she stopped and took a breath, "I didn't tell Killian to tell you I died… I never told him to say that, he did that all on his own and when I found out what he did, it was far too late."

"You- you still could have come _back."_

Her face fell, "Bae."

"I was six and I thought my mother was dead, and then I found out when I was 14 that we weren't good enough and you left. I don't have anything to say to you."

"Neal," Emma whispered.

"Bae, I'm so so sorry," Milah whispered, "Me leaving was _never_ about you not being good enough. Your father and I we weren't good for each other. We got married way too young, and I thought I Loved him and then he crippled himself and people were abusing me because they felt bad at the idea of spitting on or attacking a crippled man. I wanted to leave, to get away but there's no way that we could have. I didn't know that then, I didn't think about it but I realize now that there was no way we could have just packed up and left. I was selfish Bae and I'm so so sorry that you were thrown in the middle of it. I'm sorry about everything that happened to you afterwards. I'm just- I'm sorry."

He stood there soaking it all in and he realized that under the betrayal and the anger, there was a small part of him that he didn't want to recognize that he DID want to forgive her and he did want her story. She was his mother!

But it would hurt, and he'd been hurt too much by the parental figures in his life.

"I need to go," he muttered and went to move around his mom.

"Bae."

"My name is Neal now," he muttered past her.

HE felt Emma look behind them as they started walking away.

"I'm surprised you aren't trying to referee," he told her.

"Why should I? You listened to that much of what she had to say. Maybe that's a start."

He wrapped an arm around her, "It's a lot."

"You're meeting your murdered mom in the underworld. Take it from the girl whose parents are the same age as her when they met. I get it."

Baelfire sighed and kissed the top of her hair, "I love you."

"Me too."

Someone else was walking up to them. Neal squinted a bit until he recognized it, "Your father was on the pullout couch, wasn't he?"

Emma stopped, he felt her grip tightened, "Oh god." 

Neal didn't see the gun until it was almost too late. Without a word, it was pointed at Emma's chest.

Neal instinctively pulled Emma behind him, he was aware that a loud pop sounded and there was a pain in his chest.

And then there was the ground, and he heard Emma scream his name.

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It was an instinct now to know when something was wrong, Rumple had honed it somehow for 300 years that he'd been alive. Somehow, he knew when one of his plans went wrong or someone he needed was in danger. It wasn't completely precise but he knew when he heard the gunshot not too far away that it had to do with his people.

He was pulling himself out of the bed before he even processed what was happening. When his mind caught up to him, he already magicked his clothes on and was moving towards the door.

"Rumple?" Belle asked.

"Stay here, lock the door," he told her.

And teleported to where the gunshot sounded.

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It happened in slow motion for Milah when she saw her son fall. It took her a moment to process that her son had been shot.

She looked up as he raised the gun towards Emma. Emma grabbed his wrist and yanked it above their heads as it fired again. Sheriff James drove his other fist into Emma's unguarded torso, driving the wind out of her. When she doubled over, he yanked the gun away from her, dodged some blind magic Emma threw to defend them, pistol whipped her across the face.

Milah was on him before she even realized she had moved. Killian had spent months training her when he brought her on the ship. He put her against the strongest most talented men who put her down again and again until she learned how to stand on her own. Some might find that abusive, but she didn't. The rules on the sea were different than the rules on land, only the strongest survived the pirate life and that was just if you were lucky. She had to be good, she had to be fast. She had to protect her son.

The flurry of punches and kicks she sent obviously surprised Sheriff James. He had never seen her fight, he probably didn't even know that she'd kept up with her training. She and Liam had been housemates for over 200 years. Boredom kept them active once their stories about Killian ran out.

He blocked several of her attacks and hit her hard in the face. She stumbled but managed to keep upright. With dots dancing in front of her eyes, and the taste of blood in her mouth, she sent a blind kick out aiming between his legs. From the impact and the grunt of pain, it worked. However, it didn't land him on the ground like it usually did for most men. He must be used to getting kicked down there.

So, she reached down, grabbed and twisted, putting him down on the ground like she wanted.

He sat up, "Cora took my heart, please-.

Milah sent a boot to his head, silencing him for the time being. Neal was shot, she couldn't care less about the sheriff.

She immediately turned to go to her son's side. Her ex-husband was already there, she ignored the clench of fear in her belly that she felt every time she saw him and went to kneel on the other side of him, beside Emma.

There was blood from his mouth. She bit the inside of her cheek as she saw Rumple's hand on her son's chest. She tensed as she remembered the last time they'd met, he'd ripped her heart out. Any chance she had at returning and making amends was now gone, and now Bae thought that she died never wanted anything to do with him.

"This isn't the first time he's survived a shot to the chest," Emma muttered.

Milah looked up sharply, "What?"

Emma looked at her, her face was unreadable, Milah couldn't tell if she liked her or not. It wouldn't matter if she did or didn't, Milah really wouldn't care. It was a funny thing that just occurred to her as she sat there holding her son's face.

"His fiancé did it, she was an agent of Pan's."

"Emma," Rumple said.

She snapped out of it, "Is he okay?"

"He lost a lot of blood. The bullet nearly….," Rumple stopped, "He was nearly a permanent guest."

Milah closed her eyes.

"He needs rest," Rumple looked at the unconscious sheriff a few feet away, "We need answers."

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When they had gotten Sheriff James tied up in the basement, Rumple put a barrier spell on the house.

Emma was sitting on the steps of the basement watching him when her father came down, "Emma?"

Emma tried to put her hair where the gun had hit her to hide it, she didn't want her father having to see it and know that he had been in too deep a sleep to protect her.

It didn't work though, he saw it immediately, "Oh gods, Emma….I'm going to kill him again!"

"It's nothing. I've been hit worse."

He looked guilty as she realized what she just said. Of course he would feel guilty, she wouldn't have been hit if they'd done things differently all those years ago. Emma was having those feelings a lot herself these days.

"I should have been awake to protect you."

"You're weak still."

"It's been two weeks."

"He took a lot out of you. And we shouldn't have left the house in the first place."

"If he got in the house, it would've been a slaughter," Red said as she came down. She had been spending time with her grandmother when they were attacked, "It's probably a good thing you went out."

"You should probably be with Neal," Charming told her.

Emma crossed her arms, she wanted to but she had her job to do first, "He's asleep, his mom's with him."

Rumple bristled at that but didn't say anything about it, "Lets wake him up then."

Rumple slapped James awake. Emma imagined he used magic when the skin made contact but he probably did it for revenge.

"Evening, dearie," Rumple sneered.

Emma felt her father tense as he stared at his twin brother. Emma went to hold his hand. She knew they looked alike on a skin deep level but the way James held himself and his facial expressions, it was hard for her believe there was any resemblance.

James looked at all of them, "You can't hold me here."

"Wanna bet?" Emma demanded.

James ignored her and focused on her father, "Hello brother. You look terrible. Not sleeping much? Finally feeling guilt for taking everything that belonged to me?"

"You died dearie," Rumpelstiltskin reminded him, "Quite embarrassingly I might add. Ducked when you should have weaved, if I remember."

"Screw YOU," James hissed, "You're why I'm down here."

"I'd blame that more on the inability to know when a giant of a man was sneaking up on you. Wasn't he in armor too? AND you two were on hard ground… not very smart are you. Abigail dodged a bullet."

"Enough," Emma said, "We're looking for Mina Harker. She came in two weeks ago but she's not listed anywhere."

James laughed, "That's what this is all about? You're here for the little god killer? Who CARES? She's dead!"

"Okay, we're wasting time," Rumple said and reached wrist deep in James chest before they could stop him. His face fell when he realized that the heart wasn't there, "What the?"

James sighed in annoyance, "It was taken before I came here."

"Who?"

"Cora," he smirked, "And there was no need for that, I don't know where she is. My clearance isn't high enough for that."

"What happens to someone that hurts a god?"

"Don't know. Don't care. It's not my business. You'll NEVER get to her, so why don't you just sail home? You all are in bigger trouble than you think, you murdered their sons. DO you think Hades and Persephone will just let you waltz in here and do what you want?"

"Son," Rumple clarified, "And that was in self-defense."

"No. sons. You killed his brother too."

And it all fell into place for Emma. It wouldn't be Pan because that was Rumple's father and she was certain that would've come up. Dracula only arriving a few months after the last villain could only make it one person, "Mr. Dark."

"He's called Erebus here." James smirked, "Two gods dead, I don't think anyone's done that ever. Wonder what the world will think when they realize just how mortal the gods truly are."

David came up, "Put him to sleep."

Rumple immediately did so.

Emma's mind was racing. If Mr. Dark and Dracula were brothers and both were dead, that put a target on their back. They had to get out of here, she just needed a plan, she just needed to think, "Okay, you guys have to go back, that's all there is to it."

"Like hell," David snapped.

"No, this is too dangerous. I'm going to find Mina, I'm the one that dragged us all down here, I'm going to get her out and take her to Elysium and come home. All of you have to go."

"I hate to remind you but you were central in killing Dracula and Dark, they will come down hard on you."

"Better they do it to me than any of you. I'm a savior, I have magic. I can defend myself. You said I'm powerful-"

"Not as powerful as them," Rumple told her, "Even your savior abilities have limits."

"We're not leaving you alone." David muttered.

"This isn't a discussion."

"I'm going to get Mina out," Charming took off his jacket, "We're twins. He's the sheriff. I can find out where she is and get her out."

"He said he didn't know."

"It won't be hard to figure it out. He might even be lying."

"It's too dangerous. They'll figure it out fast."

"You forget that I was posing as Prince James for months before it was discovered who I really was. I had instructors teaching me how to walk like him, how to talk like him, even how to sleep and eat like him. Men like him? They don't change," David changed his stature and his walk to perfectly mimic his brother, it was almost terrifying to see all of James and no trace of her dad on his face.

"If they figure it out, they'll kill you," Emma told him.

"This is our only option, this is what we're doing," David told her and turned to Rumple, "And there's something I need from you

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Prince David was eternally grateful when he showed up at the palace and the bodyguards led him to where he needed to go. The whole thing would've been blown almost immediately if he wandered around like an idiot.

Instead he was led to an ornate study with a library far bigger than anything he'd ever seen at any castle. There were winged chairs and chaise lounges strewn around the room. A close look at the hardwood floor showed several scuff marks like they'd been moved frequently. He wandered over to the hand carved mahogany desk and saw a picture obviously drawn by a child of….an elephant or a dog, he wasn't sure.

He heard the door open and moved away.

A red-haired man that Charming guessed was Hades stormed in, "I didn't expect you to show up here after going against my orders to refrain from attacking the Jones house."

He suddenly found himself nervous. He talked with Dark Ones and evil queens, but here he was facing the god that decided where he went for eternity.

"Apologies sir," he bowed a little, "It was not my choice."

"James, you'll have to be more specific, this news woke me from a dead sleep."

"My heart was taken from me."

Hades eyes darkened, "Am I to guess as to who did this?"

"I'm sure you know."

Hades narrowed his eyes. He held his hand over the left side of his chest. When he was satisfied with the answer that there was no heart there, he went to his desk, "Very chatty about what happened, I'm surprised Cora didn't tell you to keep it secret."

"You'd have found out regardless," David turned to face Hades.

Hades mulled it over, "How do you like your role as sheriff, James?"

"I suppose it's alright."

"Do you think you've learned everything you need to know?"

David shrugged, "After 30 years? I would hope so."

Hades let out a dark chuckle, "Well good, because it seems that because Cora defied me, her position as mayor is now open."

Crap.

"Is it?"

"And since you know this district and since you were raised as a prince, it seems you're up for the promotion."

"Really."

"Yes. You've finally gotten your wish James, you can finally rule this little district as you see fit."

"As long as I don't disobey your orders of course."

"Of course, I saw how your father taught you to rule. I very much doubt you'll make the best decisions."

For some reason, David felt a bit offended.

Hades looked up, "Will that be all?"

"Sir, with all due respect I'd like to see Mina Harker."

Hades scoffed, "Why?"

"Because I want to make sure she's secure."

He stopped, "They're here because of that bitch? Of all the people, they've let wallow in here, they came down for her?"

He didn't know that?! Why else would they be here? "It's…. it's the only thing that makes sense, doesn't it?"

Hades cursed under his breath, "Very well. I'll talk with Jekyll, he'll be in touch."

David felt his chances of going home soon slipping away, "But what if they find her, what if they get her out?"

"And what? Send her to paradise?" Hades chuckled, "That woman's racked up a kill count that rivals most villains down here and she hates herself for it. Until she makes peace with that in oh about 5 thousand years, she's not going anywhere. And if the heroes choose to continue staying here, neither will they."

David tried to keep his face impassive as he stared at Hades, Hades seemed to be watching him closely. Was he suspecting something, or was it just David's imagination?

"Your heart will also be located and returned to you."

"What? Oh," he almost forgot about that, "I….hardly use it anyway."

"Yes, Jack the Giant Killer was very vocal about that when you were elected."

Who?

"Anyway, off you go. Get some new suits, pick someone to take over your sheriff duties and report back to me in the morning."

Prince James was taught to always bow to someone with authority, no matter how much he despised it.

So, without a word, he bowed at the waist, "Majesty."

And he left.

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Liam kept his ear open for the phone throughout his shift and as dawn started to break, and he had given up on hoping that the man he was trying to get in contact with would actually follow through for once

It wasn't until after Hades men had left the door opened and several pirates came in.

He stood and watched as they looked around the bar, checked the bathrooms, the back rooms, and the kitchen just to make sure they were alone.

Their leader that swaggered in was 6'4 and solid. He wasn't fat, he was sturdy and far larger than life than Liam remembered. He wore the same red coat that he wore when Liam last saw him, he had at least taken the ribbons and braids out of his beard and attempted to comb his hair.

"Hello father," Liam said tensely as he met eyes with the feared Blackbeard, "I need your help."

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David did not get the chance to break down in relief that he hadn't been found out by Hades when he left. He was being followed before he made it two blocks down the street towards the house. The footsteps would pad after him whenever he walked but weren't exactly in sync.

His hand closed on his gun, "Who's there?"

A girl of about 18 came out from behind a car. He took in her blue dress and bare feet. She was slender and tall and he didn't recognize her, "Easy James, it's just me."

James knew her, well as long as he didn't have to say her name, hopefully he wouldn't get caught.

It just occurred to him what a bad idea this really was.

"Did everything go okay with dad?"

 _Crap, another goddess_ , "Yeah, I- I got a promotion."

Her face lit up, "You did?"

"Y-yes, I am now mayor."

She beamed and wrapped her arms around him, "I knew it, I knew he'd pick you."

"…yeah."

She pulled away and wrung her hands a bit, "I'm sorry, I don't have your heart with me. Dad'll have to find it himself just so it looks 100 percent like Cora."

And Charming felt like he stepped even further into a situation that he didn't know anything about, "Oh….you really hate her that much, huh?"

"She's not much to me, you know that. She'd probably drive this district into the ground anyway in about five to hundred years."

"Oh, is that all." 

"I didn't want to take your heart but I needed to put you in charge. You're my guy, you can get us in that place if you're mayor. Cora never would bother. Dad hasn't made this afterlife easy on her." she probably celebrated the idea of god killers,

Charming tried not to start screaming as he realized even more that while he found a lead on where Mina might be, he was also bringing along what he believed to be the sister to one of the women that killed her brother.

"Are you alright?" she looked at him.

"Fine," he lied.

"I'm sorry if it hurt badly."

"I've been speared through the chest before."

The girl laughed a little bit and moved to hug him. Charming stepped back in surprise.

"I couldn't have done this without you, thank you."

It was with great reluctance that he returned the embrace, he finally did and held her close.

Now they'd really stepped in it.

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Emma had tried to get more information out of James but he stopped talking once Rumple ripped out Charming's heart in front of him. He'd seemed horrified enough as he said it happened to him but he didn't want to SEE it happen to someone that looked enough like him to be unsettled.

"This is a bad idea," Emma whispered as they went upstairs, "Sending him out like this."

"It is," Rumple agreed, "But he'd already made his decision, he was going to do it. Not even you can stop that."

"It's not safe."

"Well, we were running out of options; the location spell didn't work, she's been hidden away and we apparently killed two gods."

Emma couldn't think about that, not tonight, "We should send them all back then, especially Neal."

"Well I agree but I don't think he's going to leave you."

"We'll do it since he's unconscious then."

"He'd never forgive you if you pulled that. He'd just find a way to come right back and I don't need to remind you that my son and portals don't have a positive history."

"Then what are you saying?"

"I think we all need to rest."

"I'm not resting until dad's back."

"Then you should at least lay down and let your body rest."

"I can't lay down and rest, I'll fall asleep."

"You've had a very long day, dearie," Rumple told her calmly, "And a very trying one."

Emma's eyes filled with tears, "We nearly lost Neal again."

Rumple's eyes simmered with rage, "Yes, we did."

"Because Cora and…. her whatever plans I guess."

"She'll be dealt with."

"No," Emma told him, "No, you can't risk compromising this before it even starts."

"Oh dearie, it won't interfere with anything. She won't be found."

" _No_ ," Emma said and shivered, "I need you here, Neal needs you here. If Hades is anything like his sons…geez having to say that, we need to stay together. He'll attack us head on."

"That's not his way," Rumple told her.

"Then even more reason to stick together," Emma opened the door to her and Neal's room quietly. She blinked in surprise when she found the room was occupied by a sleeping Neal, Milah, Killian, Belle, and Red.

Rumple bristled as he realized Belle and Milah and Killian were in the same room, but Belle looked none the worse for wear as she kept to herself, looking through the directory that the family kept in the house.

Emma watched as everyone's interest in her and Rumple faded. Milah sat there holding Neal's hand, Killian stood over both of them, staring into the distance and toying with his hook. There was a recharger plugged into the wall with Belle's phone, he probably wore the battery down. Red stood at attention, listening and smelling for anyone that might come.

"You're safe Emma," Rumple told her, "You can rest."

"With everyone staring at me?"

"You can always go to another room."

Emma didn't like the idea of Neal waking up without her, "No."

She went to take off her boots and she went to sit next to him on the bed. She felt the tears sting her eyes as she remembered the last time he'd been shot and she thought he was dead.

 _What am I going to tell Henry?_

She ran a hand through his hair and looked at Milah, "Thank you…for saving us."

Milah just barley glanced at her, "You're his son's mother?"

"Yeah, I'm…I'm Emma." 

"Emma?" Milah looked over incredulously at Killian, "This is the woman you're in love with? My grandson's mother?"

Killian cleared his throat a bit and shifted awkwardly, "Nothing ever came of it."

Milah narrowed her eyes and looked at Emma, "Did it?" 

"A kiss," Emma confessed and then realized how ridiculous this all was, they were here for Neal!

Emma looked at Rumple and realized he was doing very little to hide his gleeful smirk, "We'll all have a laugh about this later, I'm sure."

Emma didn't think it was ever going to be funny and she lay next to Neal and wrapped her arm around his waist.

She'd just close her eyes for a bit, just to rest them.

"Don't worry dearie," Rumple told her as Red covered her with a blanket, "We'll wake you if there's news."

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In the darkest hour before the dawn, Hades left his bed where his wife slept, dressed, and transported himself to the small hospital out on the islands. It wasn't much to look at, something thrown together to mend the pirates and sailors that sailed around these areas from wounds and other things they may have picked up.

But the hospital was just a cover for what was really there. Hades found the secret wall with ease and opened the door that separated the lower dungeons from his world.

Jekyll was ready for him when he arrived, dressed impeccably as always. Hades hadn't really liked pulling him out of the district he'd set aside for him but if there was someone so vile as to create an alternate version of himself so that version could do all the terrible things he wanted to do, then Hades felt this place was as good as any to keep a man like him.

"Lord Hades," Jekyll greeted.

"Jekyll," Hades greeted and took off his glove, "Any updates?"

"No sir, I've been reading over the reports again since she got here. She's not made any attempts to escape or caused any trouble."

"Hmm," he muttered to himself, more than likely she was planning something, "Take me to see her."

"Yes sir," Jekyll made an irritated gesture to Theseus who perked up, yawned and opened the door that led to the secure hallway.

"She's 48 stories down," Jekyll told him as they walked, "In the 2nd most secure wing, like you've said. We've doubled the number of guards since we heard what she did, but she's kept mostly to herself."

"Have you let her out?"

"No, she's been in her room for the past two weeks."

That was really quite inhumane but Hades didn't care. This place wasn't for those to be treated with humanity. He had originally built it to contain the titans that were killed to be tortured for all eternity, but as people entered purgatory and he wasn't quite ready to let them head to the pit, he put them here. He couldn't let them walk amongst the people in his charge to terrorize them.

And then, one day, someone hurt a god and had died in the process, and he put them here. After that, Dracula was killed, several times, and he had to bring about a new wing for those that might hurt or kill his children or family.

Other than his kids, it was just the principal of the matter really, he rarely got along with his family except for Hephaestus and Hestia. He was more than happy to open his home to them. Though Hestia was more drawn to Persephone and Hephaestus talked about the comings and goings of Aphrodite.

Like Aphrodite could hold a candle to Persephone.

Upon exiting the elevator, Hades watched as Jekyll unlocked three different gates and managed a maze of hallways until they arrived in front of the gray steel door that separated him from the woman that helped murder his boys. He looked at the slot where the food tray went, and looked at the even bigger window closer to the top. He unlocked it, pulled it up and stared through the bars at the bitch in the room.

He took her in, she was already awake, she was sitting cross legged on the bed, meditating. She didn't look like much. She came to them malnourished, that's probably the figure she'd hold here for eternity. But she was clean. Her hair was brushed back, she bathed, she was wearing a pressed set of clothes, most had given all of that up a long time ago.

Give it time, he supposed. She hated losing control of herself and her surroundings, therefore she would hate cages and this would drive her insane the more time passed and she wasn't let out.

And this was her? This was the slip of a woman that killed Dracula, his wives, and countless of his children's creations?

He expected something more.

"Sir?" Jekyll asked, breaking the silence.

"Rouse Hyde," Hades closed the window and locked it, "Question her."


	3. 4B: E02 - Family Ties

When Mina had awakened after stabbing herself in the stomach, she found herself strapped to a gurney being wheeled to the room that she had now stayed in for….how long had she been staying in here again?

At first, she thought that she was still alive, that somehow, she had failed and they'd saved her against her wishes. That theory proved wr ong as soon as she went to look at her stomach and found no wound or bandage there.

So, either she WAS dead and the afterlife was an evil hospital room where no one talked to her, or she was crazy all along and everything was a delusion and she ju st woke up.

Death seemed a better theory than the latter.

Oddly enough, Mina felt peace with her decision. She knew that the crushing guilt that she left her daughter behind would come later, once the shock wore off. Then the boredom would come if she was indeed to be trapped in this cell for the rest of eternity.

She'd go mad. It was inevitable. She was too active, used to constantly moving. She would have to sit here in a small room and think now. She'd have to think about the things she did and the things she didn't do. She'd have to relive all her memories over and over in her mind in a windowless room where she was denied even a pen to write her thoughts down.

That would all come later though. Mina instead slept. She slept until she couldn't sleep anymore and then meditated. She was dead now, there was nothing she could do any longer. It wasn't practical to continually worry herself over Storybrooke or the fate of her daughter now that she was gone.

Emma would take her daughter back to her mother, her mother would raise the baby and at least have that piece of Mina back.

 _Should have gone back home when you realized you were pregnant. Should have ignored Dracula coming back_

Mina tried to block out that voice plaguing the back of her mind as she slept.

 _What if he isn't dead? What if you killed yourself for nothing and now he has full access to Lizzie?_

She couldn't think like that. Rumple said this was how it was done, this was how he died.

 _What if he was wrong?_

Mina buried her face in her knees, he couldn't be wrong, she couldn't have died for nothing. He was dead, they would kill him. Lizzie would be raised by her grandmother. She wouldn't have to be raised by the broken shell that was Mina. It was for the best; if Mina survived everything, she'd ruin her daughter. How could Mina hope to raise her in a normal environment knowing what she knew? Seeing what she'd seen? She knew about the things that lurked in closets and under the bed. She knew that the things scratching at the windows weren't the branches from the tree in the yard.

How could her child grow up with a mum like her?

She had saved lives and she took pride in that but it came at a cost. It chipped and chipped away at her until one day she didn't recognize herself anymore.

No, it was for the best that she was dead and her child was free.

She told herself that for the days she was trapped here. She put it at about two weeks judging by the sorts of food they brought in.

Then when she was heading into week 3, something changed. She wasn't sure what but someone finally entered her room. Mina took in the two men dressed in white 'scrubs' as Emma had called them once

"What's going on?" she asked, "Am I getting out?"

They roughly grabbed her by her ankles and under her arms. They hoisted her up onto the gurney and strapped her down. She kicked back on instinct, her foot connected with someone's face. A baton crashed down on her midsection and shut her up

"What's going on?" she demanded again through pants of pain.

They strapped her in tighter and put a bag over her head. Mina panicked when she was surrounded by darkness. She started fighting the restraints until she forced herself to settle down. She couldn't control where they were taking her, but she could control herself in this situation.

She lay still and tried to feel the directions they were taking her in. Eventually it started to feel like she was being taken in circles to throw off her sense of direction.

Then they were rising…or was it falling? Mina hadn't even heard the elevator doors. She tried to time how long they climbed…or dropped before she was then wheeled out of the lift.

She lay bound on the gurney for several minutes before she heard a door open and close. Mina felt the straps loosen on her arms and legs.

Someone ripped the bag off her head, blinding light filled her vision.

A man in a suit sat on the edge of the desk. Mina took him in. He was clean cut, about 6 foot with a goatee. He wore a black suit with a red cravat. Mina caught a glimpse of the chain of a pocket watch tucked into his waistcoat. This was a gentleman, she could tell by the way he carried himself.

One of the men tried to pull her off the gurney, she shoved him away, "Don't bloody touch me."

"Mrs. Harker," the man by the desk cleared his throat, "Welcome to the Underworld."

So, she was dead then, well that took care of that question, "Are you in charge?"

"Indeed, I am, my name is Henry Jekyll."

Mina had heard the name in the hunting circles, "The Mad Doctor?"

"I had hoped for something more creative for a moniker," he sighed, "Shall I pour you some tea?"

"No," Mina said, "Where's the other one?"

"There's no reason to be rude." 

"Rude?" she scoffed, "I've been trapped in a room for over two weeks!"

"You have a lot longer to stay."

"Why?" Mina asked and felt her heart start to race, "Is it because….is it because the vampire children?"

He blinked, "You don't know what you did?"

Mina shrugged.

"Well this is very interesting," Jekyll leaned on the desk with his arms crossed, "This whole situation is fascinating really. You're supposed to be this mighty hunter but you haven't put this together."

"Why am I here?" Mina asked.

"You tell me."

"I don't _know_ ," Mina hissed, "I don't know anything about what's happening."

"I'll tell you what's happening," Jekyll told her with an eerie calmness, "Hades and Persephone put you down here because you killed their son two weeks ago."

Mina looked up, her heart started racing as she processed what he said, "The…that's impossible."

"Is it really?"

"The Greek Gods are a myth, created by man to try and explain away what he could not understand at the time."

"And in some worlds, I'm a story in a book," he leaned forward, uncomfortably so and Mina pressed her back to the chair, "But to you, you know what I threat I am if I let him out."

Her eyes slid to the impassive guard holding his gun, "Yes."

He grabbed her face and forced her to look at him, "You've heard what he can do?"

"Yes."

"Good, then I expect your full cooperation," he tightened his grip momentarily before he let her go. Mina watched in horror as she saw his face was starting to twist. His body jerked unnaturally. She thought she heard bones breaking and cracking as he started to take a new form in front of her.

"You're going to tell me why you're so special that your friends are here, and what they want."

Mina felt the air being driven out of her lungs when she heard him say that. She forced herself to ignore the twisting of his body as she focused on his words.

Her friends came for her.

His grip was growing stronger, Mina had to do something now. If her friends were down here, she had to warn them to leave. If they killed the son of gods, then they had to get out while they still were alive and not turned into trees that would be named after them.

She slammed the tea cup against the arm of the chair. The shard was in Jekyll's neck before the guard had time to react. Mina shoved her captor away from her. She heard the guard scream orders behind her but she didn't take time to comprehend it. She had to get to her friends.

Her hand closed on the back of the chair she'd just been sitting in. She hurled it at the feet of the guard knocking him over.

When he landed, there was the sound of keys hitting the floor. Mina rushed over to him and slammed his face against the tile to buy herself time.

Another guard was entering the room. Mina lifted the gun and fired above his head, sending him back into the asylum for cover.

With a knife, a gun, and keys in hand, Mina ran out what was most logically the door leading outside. There were gates and guards that took cover when she fired above their heads or by their feet. IF she got any, she didn't know, her mind was on escape.

She ran zig zag instead of straight to avoid bullets firing around her. An alarm screeched somewhere behind her but she pushed on.

She took in her surroundings. It looked like an island, she could smell the sea. Across the water looked like the nearest city several miles off. It would be a tough swim, especially after being cooped up in a room for 2 weeks, her muscles weren't as strong as they used to be.

Or did that matter if she was dead?

Mina should have realized something was wrong once the attacks stopped coming. She could barely hear anything over the pounding of her heartbeat in her ears but dammit, she should've sensed something.

As soon as she reached the beach, an inhuman roar filled her ears. Mina felt her blood run cold as she turned to see what they sent out.

It was milk white, and it was fast; far faster than she could be. It would reach her before she could reach the water. She had to cripple it before it got to her.

Mina had never fought a minotaur before. And she really didn't want to tangle with one now that both were dead.

The bullets did little to slow it down. It stumbled once and then sped up.

Mina had to take her chances and try to make it for the water.

When it hit her, Mina felt the horn go through her skin. She flew through the air and hit her head on a rock. Stars danced before her eyes as the monster went for the gore again and again. Mina only knew at one point she had the guard's knife in her hand and she stabbed the beast over and over as it mauled her, threw her, slammed her, and then put what was left of her under the water to drown.

It felt like an eternity before blood made the creature lose his grip. Mina couldn't pull herself out of the water for air, both arms had to be broken from the attack.

So, she tried to kick off with her feet. She couldn't stay here. She'd let the currents take her away from here if she could.

The guards, who had hung back simply walked forward, grabbed her ankle and pulled her back.

Jekyll was beside him. His face was red with rage, "Take them all to the infirmary. Lock her away from everyone else."

Mina let out a strangled cry of pain as they forced her on the gurney.

"Lord Hades can deal with you," he snarled.

00000000000000000000000000000000

The beach that connected to the palace was so beautiful in the morning that Hades often took his meals there when he was too busy to have taken it with his family. His dealings as the Lord of the Underworld left him taking care of business at all manner of time and often it meant he was already up and moving around in the morning. Breakfasts were usually an isolated affair, with his wife having the breakfast with the children before she went to conduct her own dealings.

Dinners however were a required event and he hoped to be done with all this Overworld mess by the time he sat down with his family and assure them that the so called above world heroes were not here to murder them.

He was just sitting down to his meal, listening to the roar of the waves in front of him when he spotted his wife coming out of the palace. As always, Persephone was radiant, the blue sundress she was wearing matched her blue eyes and filled him with such desire that he never felt for any other woman in the many millennia that he'd been alive.

"Where were you?" she asked, kissing his cheek.

"On the Island, then getting some affairs in order," he put the napkin in his lap, "Have you eaten?"

"No, I wasn't hungry." 

He waved for Eurydice, the servant that attended his wife, "Bring your mistress a plate."

"I'm not hungry," she protested.

"You're eating so little now, surely you can stomach something," he shifted uncomfortably. True, they didn't NEED to eat, but he didn't like seeing her waste away. He'd lost a part of her when Hera had Zagreus killed and he felt like he'd never get it back. He couldn't bear the thought of losing more because they'd lost two more sons.

She stared down at the empty spot in her table, "Have they been banished from this place?"

He looked down guiltily, "No."

She looked up, eyes flashing dangerously, "Why not?"

"That's my goal for today," he told her, "But it must be done carefully so as not to convince them to stay longer. The good news is that the sheriff reports they're not here to harm us, they're here for the Harker bitch."

"Why?" Persephone demanded and then paled, "Surely you don't mean to let her meet with them?"

"Of course not, I don't owe any of them any such meeting," he was still the god of the Underworld and he would not be bent to accommodate a group of humans who killed his sons because they wanted a meet and greet with his human property, "But we can NOT underestimate them, this must be dealt with delicately."

"Or we can kill them and make them ours to handle as well as we please.'

He looked up at that, he was becoming angry now. His wife questioned him many times and he welcomed it as she often found things or ideas that he missed But this? He wouldn't have anyone questioning him when it came to the murder of their _children,_ "What if such a thing ends badly? What if it's not just you and I that are lost? What if it means more of our children are dead?"

"If we strike now, we catch them by surprise."

"Or lead them to a trap, remember Rumpelstiltskin is with them and he was here for quite a while before he was resurrected."

He was the only real threat, it was his dagger that took the lives of Ichor and Erebus, and if Rumpelstiltskin had it with him down here, Hades didn't want to consider how many he might take with him if they attacked.

Rumpelstiltskin would fight as hard as they would to keep his family intact.

The savior? Well, she wouldn't be much trouble. She wasn't dangerous and the rest of the party fared even less when it came to his attention.

Rumpelstiltskin and Rumpelstiltskin mentoring Emma Swan was the real concern.

"You ask me to sit here and do nothing," she growled.

"I ask you to be choose your decisions wisely and once you see past the grief and emotions, you'll know I'm right."

"What if I do it anyway?" She challenged.

Any other of his brothers, she wouldn't have dared ask that if she'd been married to them, but however, he was the one she had picked to be married to, "I gave you half this kingdom. Your power equals mine. You can make the decisions that you wish. But remember that no one's life gets easier with our family when we lash out blindly. More than the intended targets suffer."

She stopped then, he saw for a brief second that he'd awakened something in her that was his wife again. The beautiful logical woman that ruled by his side, but it was quickly clouded over with the look of an angry mother who had just lost two of her sons' mere months apart.

"You're so calm, one might say you don't even care."

"You know better than that," he growled, suddenly enraged, "How dare you even suggest- I taught them to walk, I taught them to read. I stayed up with them when Thanatos's stories about death terrified them into insomnia. I taught them to be gods that would one day rule in our stead should anything happen to us."

Eurydice entered the beach, holding a plate of breakfast. Persephone shot an angry look to her, "I told you I wasn't hungry."

"I think it'd be best if you saw to Cora's punishment today," Hades told her, still trying to focus after Persephone dealt that verbal blow.

"The less I'm near them, the better, right?"

"You can do what you wish, but I think that's safest."

Persephone threw her napkin down, "Fine."

"Fine," he watched her go. He gripped the table for a few moments and gathered himself, he looked at the trembling Eurydice, "Best you eat that breakfast, it'll go to waste otherwise."

"Yes, my lord. Thank you," she whispered and turned to leave.

She passed Pain and Panic; both, he noted, were pale after passing Persephone on the way here.

"What is it?" he demanded. They didn't say anything at first, they just handed him a slip of paper.

Once he read it, he was grateful his wife wasn't standing with him.

0000000000000000000000000000

 **Centuries Ago**

Liam loved the sea, he spent more of his twelve years seeing its splendor than he had ever been on land and he liked it like that. He had learned to walk on the ship. His brother had been born and learned to walk on the Queen Anne's Revenge as well. He had seen mountains, and deserts from his father's ship. He watched kingdoms rise and fall in the span of months to years. He knew how to read and navigate. He knew more about ships than most shipbuilders.

He was born to be a captain, just like his father. It was the only thing he wanted.

His father was a giant of a man, even as a child where EVERYONE was bigger than him, he knew his father towered over everyone else and had the sort of presence that no one ignored. If it wasn't his size, it was his big bushy beard that came down to his waist, he kept braids and ribbons in it and sometimes Liam even saw that he tied smoking coals to it to give off the impression of a demon. It made the people they met cooperate more, his father said. And while his father was never above taking means to hurt those who did not cooperate with him, he would really rather not hurt anyone.

The sea was a rough life, but it was their home and here they were free. And to hold that, they had to be strong, to be strong, men had to fear them.

To be strong, men could not show weakness. That's why most bastards like him and his brother were left on land to be raised by their mothers, never to see their father's again. But his father was different, his father loved his mother when she was alive. He had promised her on her deathbed that he would look after their sons.

Most men abandoned their children and called it 'right' because who would want their children to be near a pirate father? Their father had decided it was the manly thing to take them on and raise himself. So he taught them, and he educated them.

He was practicing with his father on the last night they spent together. He had learned French of his father's quartermaster and was practicing it as his father walked with him to the bedroom he andh is brother shared.

"Papa, are you alright?" he asked once he noted his father's silence.

"I'm fine," his father said a little too quickly.

Even Liam was fast to pick up on it, "Papa."

"Just…. a storm's coming boy," his father said, "And you and your brother need to stay below for when it happens."

"Yes papa," Liam didn't see what the problem was, they had stayed below for storms before.

Killian was already asleep when they came into the cabin. Their father rested a hand on Killian's hair and sighed.

"Papa?" Killian asked sleepily.

"Go back to bed, boy," Papa said gently, "Tomorrow when the storm's over, we're going to explore new realms, how would you like that?"

Kilian rubbed his eyes, "Promise?"

"Promise." He tucked him in and stood.

Liam felt some unease but he brushed it off, "Papa, what if you need help?"

"I have men to do it," He told Liam, "The ship is strong, and the storm is hours away. You'll be asleep by then. This one isn't one you need to be in the middle of."

"Yes papa."

Papa rested his forehead on Liam's and sighed, "Look after your brother."

00000000000000000

 **Present Day**

The sun was just coming up when Liam finally pulled into the driveway of his home. His hands were shaking, his heart hammered in his chest so loudly he was sure everyone outside the car could hear it.

He had broken the golden rule set by himself, his brother, and Milah. That was that they didn't have any communication with Blackbeard or any of his pirates. He had tried when Liam landed down here and Liam kept ignoring him. When Milah came down here and started sailing with pirates, one was sent on a crew with her to spy and report back any information about Liam and his brother.

Milah came to find him after that. He took her in, loved her like his sister and cut off any contact they might have had from his father.

When Killian died, Liam tried to protect him but their father's little spies got through once. Just once. It was always in Killian's peripheral that his father was there, but when he made contact, it sent Kilian into a week of binge drinking and bad decisions that the state he was in was only familiar to Milah during their pirating days..

After that, all three of them swore not to have anything to do with Edward Teach, the man known as Blackbeard.

And he had broken that.

He was shaking as he went up the steps and into the house. He did it for the right reasons. Mina had had Killian's baby. Killian would just get attached on account of that. That made Mina his sister too, he was doing what he did and making the deals that he made to save his new sister.

That's the way he would justify it to Killian. He didn't make contact to save his brother's child's mother that Killian had known for all of a week. He'd done it to save a woman he'd think of as a sibling if they were all alive.

Graham was sitting at the dining table reading when he arrived, "There you are. I was getting worried."

"I told you I'd be out late," he went to the man he loved and kissed him.

Graham knew there was something wrong immediately, "What is it?"

Liam looked up, "I talked to _him_."

Graham went rigid, concern in his eyes, "Do the others know?"

"No, there'd be a screaming match if they knew I saw him."

"Okay," Graham whispered, "Is he going to help us?"

"For a price." Liam wrapped his arms around himself, "I think this is wrong. I think I messed up."

They heard the door opening upstairs. Graham turned quickly, "We'll talk about it later."

"Thank you," Liam whispered in relief. If there was someone he knew would have his back it'd be Graham. He could tell anything to him and Graham would support him. He could even say he didn't want them all here and Graham would understand. He might not agree with it but he'd know Liam was just trying to protect his siblings.

"Hey," Killian ran down the stairs, "Where were you?"

"I was just driving around, a lot to think about," Liam told him. It wasn't all a lie.

"I hope one of those things was what we're going to do with James since he's tied up in our basement."

"I don't know," Liam whispered, "Where's Milah? We need to involve her in this too." 

"She's not leaving Baelfire's side until he wakes up," Killian said in a rush, "James knows who we are, we work for him for God's sake. And as charming as Charming is, he can't keep up the ruse for very long. We have to figure out what we're going to do."

"He just got promoted to mayor now that Cora's out. We have the mayor locked up in the basement," Graham reminded him.

And this was what Liam worried about when they arrived. The heroes would leave all this behind and the rest of them were stuck here trying to pick up the pieces."

"We just need Charming long enough to get James's heart back," Killian said as something started to dawn on him.

Liam caught on immediately, "I don't think controlling hearts is the best thing to do."

"I agree," Graham said a little too quickly. Liam took a protective step over to him.

"We have to do something, there might not be another way."

"No," Graham said, "We don't take control away."

"Then we erase his memories," Killian snapped.

"Those aren't ours to take," Graham snapped back, "Do you really want to do to him what was done to me?"

"No. It's different," Killian told him, "Because this will protect all of us."

"We're breaking the laws of nature, it's not natural to control someone like that."

"Well, if you have any other ideas then I want to hear them. You KNOW talking to him won't work. He's not going to overlook the fact we have him tied up in the basement," Killian said, "Sometimes we have to do the wrong things for the right reasons. It's something all of us know and understand. There is no other way."

"I won't be party to controlling another person's heart," Graham said.

Killian stopped, he looked at his brother for guidance. Liam looked between both of them and found himself evaluating both sides.

"We'll think of antoher way," Liam promised Graham to his relief, "But until then we have a man in our basement whose heart we may get access to. We also have to consider there might not be another way. We're all in a rough spot here and we don't have to decide now."

"But soon," Graham said.

"Yes, that's something we can agree on," Killian whispered.

They heard the door open, they saw Belle come down the stairs, "What's going on?"

"Nothing, everything's fine," Killian said over his shoulder.

"Oh," Belle looked over her shoulder and then cleared her throat, "Bae's waking up."

Killian turned around more fully at that news, "Is he alright?"

"He's a little disoriented but Rumple says he'll be fine."

Something dark crossed Killian's eyes at the mention of Rumple, but he managed to hold back anything he might say.

"Emma has a mirror," Belle started, "It connects with Storybrooke if there was anyone that you might want to talk to."

"Before my time," Liam said and went ot the kitchen.

Killian went to go up the stairs, "The only one I care about his my daughter and she can't talk back."

Belle looked at Graham.

He just looked broken, "The man they knew there wasn't real."

Belle looked sad for him, "But-."

"I don't want them to see me like this," he went outside.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000

Emma slept the hardest that she slept in a long time when she was next to Neal. It should have been impossible with as many people as there were in the room. She was just so tired…

But the sun was up when Emma finally opened her eyes, she felt Neal moving next to her. For a moment, she thought they were at the house in their bed, then her mind caught up with her and she remembered he'd been shot. She sat up a bit, "Neal?"

Rumple was crossing the room as soon as Emma sat up. Emma glanced to see Milah had moved sometime in the night to sit on the other side of him.

Neal looked at everyone, "What happened?"

"You were shot," Emma told him.

Neal looked at her in confusion, "What?"

"Prince James shot you-." 

He looked at all of them, "Did I- did I die?"

"No," Rumple told him quickly, "I healed you. Your mother fought James off."

Milah moved into Neal's view as well. Her eyes were hopeful as she took in his face, but there was still a lot of reluctance in her eyes and posture. There was a lot going on in Emma's head when it came to Milah. She had abandoned her son to run off with Hook, and while that was none of Emma's business, she knew how much it hurt Neal. Emma was open to giving anyone a second chance after Regina, but she couldn't stand in the way of letting Neal be angry and deal with his emotions when it came to this.

All she had to do was stand by him and listen to how hurt he was.

Neal's eyes took in his mother. Emma saw the fear in them, and the anger he still had that he was trying to swallow back, "You saved me?" 

"Yes, yes, I saved you. He was going to kill you-."

"Thank you," Neal allowed, "For saving both of us."

Milah's eyes filled with tears and she nodded, satisfied that this seemed to be a start.

"Oh god," Neal looked at Emma, "We were supposed to check in by now."

00000000000000000000

Visiting the island every couple of days to see how things were was not out of the norm for Hades. Visiting twice in twelve hours was something that maybe happened a few times millennia ago, but it'd been so long that he'd forgotten.

He didn't wait for his minions to clear the room for him, he ignored the guards, "There had better be a good explanation for what I read."

Jekyll stood in front of him, dressed in a suit that had blood on the collar, he saw the rags with dried blood still on the desk, "She cut me with a teacup!"

Hades watched as Jekyll's assistant tried clearing it away, "It says Harker tried to escape."

"She cut me and she tried to escape!" Jekyll said angrily, "She broke a mug and stabbed me in the neck. You said she was domesticated! I don't let them out unless they're housebroken."

What was he complaining about? He was dead. If he got his throat slashed, then it'd heal minutes later. There wouldn't even be a scar a few hours from now, "She cut _you_?"

Jekyll huffed, "She cut _us."_

"So, you were awake during the time Hyde was trying to interrogate her."

"Of course I was. I know your rules, I wouldn't allow that madman to have complete control when interrogating a woman."

Hades didn't have the patience, "How far did she get?"

"To the beach."

 _How could she POSSIBLY get that far?_ "And your men didn't stop her?"

"They tried, they're in the infirmary now."

"What stopped her then?"

"That abomination stopped her. Gored her several times. She was still trying to pull herself in the water. As if she would like what she found THERE. Should have let her go in. If the mermaids and pirates don't get her, swimming towards the wrong river certainly won't end -"

"Why did she try to escape?" Hades asked.

"I'm sorry?" Jekyll scoffed, "She's a prisoner. They all would try to escape if they were given the opportunity."

"No, she's been a model prisoner for two weeks now. She hasn't even spoken a word beyond thanking those who clean the cell and bring her food."

"She was close to the door that led outside. Of course she would attempt it."

Hades narrowed his eyes, something didn't feel right. He couldn't explain it but the way Jekyll was tense around him had his attention, "Did Hyde try something?"

"No, gods no."

"Because I'll know once I talk to her if he tried anything he shouldn't."

"I know your rule about _that_ ," he snapped, "And I would've taken control back the minute that risked happening."

"You'll forgive me if I doubt the word of that from the man who created an alter ego just so he could do the human depravities he couldn't do otherwise."

Jekyll was silent on that one.

"If she wasn't running away from something, she was certainly running towards something," he bit the inside of his cheek and looked thoughtful, "She knows they're here, doesn't she?"

"I tried to stop him from saying so."

Now the woman he was trying to keep separated from everyone knew her rescuers were here.

His wife didn't believe he loved his children enough to be angry and do something

The living had found their way here.

Hades wasn't sure how much more he could take.

He stormed towards the doors that would take him towards the infirmary, "I want to see her _now."_

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Emma thought that telling Henry that they weren't coming back just yet would be harder, she expected a tantrum and anger and accusations since they parted badly upon leaving. To her surprise though, once Emma told him why they weren't returning automatically he was surprisingly receptive.

They didn't tell him that they killed a god, they didn't tell him that Neal ahd been shot. They didn't want to scare him with the idea that they might never get out if they stayed longer than necessary.

"I sort of thought things wouldn't go as easily as you said they would," Henry told her, "It never does."

Emma smiled as she and Neal sat side by side on the bed, looking in the mirror, "Guess you're smarter than that."

"When are you coming back?"

"As soon as we find Mina and get her to safety but…we don't have timetable, kid. I'm sorry."

"But if the gods have her locked away somewhere….what happens if you get her out and then just leave? What happens to everyone then?"

Emma swallowed, "Working on that." 

"Maybe you can defeat Hades and Persephone."

Emma shifted, "Their side of things is complicated, Henry."

"Maybe you should just talk to them then."

"I don't know if they can come back from this," Emma told him.

"But what happened?"

"We'll talk about it when we get back. It's a long story and we have to get to work" Emma promised and looked at Neal and then back in the mirror, "I love you." 

"I love you too."

"Is Lizzie okay?" Neal asked.

"She's crying a lot, grandma says it's just gas though."

Emma ignored the guilt, she should be there for both of them but this needed to be fixed.

"Let me talk to Snow and Regina."

There was movement on the other side of the mirror, Emma cringed as she was far closer to her mom and son's other mom's faces than he ever wanted to be in her life.

Snow was the first one to know something was wrong, "Henry, why don't you go make us some tea?"

"I was hoping I could talk to dad…"

"In a few minutes," Snow promised, "Just go put the kettle on."

They waited until he was gone and Snow leaned closer, "What happened?"

"Short version?" Emma sighed, "Dracula and Mr. Dark are the kids of Hades and Persephone."

"WHAT?!" Regina demanded.

"We killed gods?" Snow gasped.

"And their daughter or…Zeus's daughter or whatever had Uncle James try to kill me and Neal when we went for a walk. Yeah, he's here too. So is Granny."

"And Red found her?" Regina asked hopefully.

"She stayed up all night guarding the house, she went back there to sleep."

"I really need the long version of the god thing and the shooting thing."

"Well tea doesn't take that long to make," Neal said.

"And you really don't know what you're going to do once you find Mina?" Regina asked.

"I have no idea."

"That's some planning," she reprimanded.

"Well, it's not like we knew we killed gods, did we?" Neal snapped.

"The fact of the matter is that if you don't have a plan then you need to come back," Regina snapped, "The last thing Henry needs is to bury his entire family except me and his grandmother."

"I'm not leaving Mina."

"You can help her when you've died," Regina told her, "Henry needs you here."

"Regina," Snow whispered, "Enough."

Emma felt the guilt clawing away at her stomach.

"Where's Charming?" Snow asked.

"He's with Persephone," Emma saw her mother's terrified look, "He's posing as James to try and reach Mina. From there we'll come up with a plan."

"She'll find out."

"I tried to tell him that but he wouldn't listen."

"Of course not, that's just like him."

Emma frowned, "I'll keep trying to talk him out of it."

"Thank you," Snow ran a hand through her hair, "I just got him back."

"I know."

"Henry's coming back," Snow said quickly and turned the mirror back towards Henry.

Neal took the mirror, "Hey buddy! How was your day."

Emma met Rumple's eyes across the room. He gave her an understanding nod and she looked away. She toyed with the strands of the bed covers while Henry and Neal made small talk.

When they promised to call again later that night, Neal put the mirror face down and looked at her, "You alright?"

"I just don't want my kids to bury me."

Rumpelstiltskin flinched at the slip and got up to leave the room. Emma realized what she said as he got up. She wasn't pregnant herself, but she thought of Lizzie like she was her own daughter and that attachment was growing every day.

So was the animosity between Emma and Rumple over it.

"They're not going to bury you," Neal promised her.

"How are we going to get Mina out and leave everyone intact after we leave?" Emma dug the palms of her hands into her eyes

"I don't know," Neal kissed the top of her head and wrapped his arms around her, "I don't know."

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Mina Harker was a mere slip of a woman, rather plain for Hades taste. She looked so small curled up on the infirmary bed, facing the wall in the far corner that Hades couldn't understand how she rallied people around her to kill his son twice.

Emma Swan sure, she was a savior but this little thing?

He closed his eyes and gathered himself, forced himself to let his rage simmer. It wouldn't do anyone any good if he strangled this bitch in her sickbed. It was a cowardly move, and the woman he was about to face had that department. She never faced Dracula by herself if she had to. She got others to do it. And she just killed herself and left her baby alone.

After a few moments, he strolled in. He ignored the nurses and doctors that gasped or awkwardly bowed as he walked by. Most of the beings here didn't mind being a doctor or a nurse. There weren't many opportunities in the underworld for a medical practice; injuries eventually healed, death never came.

The Harker bitch must have heard the commotion because she slowly turned her body to look at what the commotion was. Her eyes grew when she saw him, "Oh bloody hell."

He had met her eight years ago, after she left the safety of her home and her mother to come to Abraham Van Helsing for help. It had been a happy accident that she stumbled on them, and he'd rolled with that punch. He talked her into taking up hunting along with Van Helsing for the sole purpose of sending them off to die. It would at least be an honorable death, to give them a fighting chance. He was the god of the underworld, he wasn't a slaughterer. He'd let his children's creations do that for him.

But somehow both had survived. It could have been because they didn't take too many hunts from him. They chose to take smaller independent hunts that their co-hunters would not pay attention to.

Otherwise she most certainly would have been dead by now.

But if Hades HAD just killed both of them, his son would still be alive.

"Alexios," She slurred and pulled herself up to a sitting position.

"No darling, not down here," he looked her over. She had a lot of internal injuries, her face was damaged, her cheek and jaw were still healing. He could see her leg was twisted, her shoulder was mending and her ribs were realigning. She wasn't going anywhere any time soon, "Here I am called Lord Hades."

She took that in, her face was too damaged to really show her reaction, "And does the Lord of the Underworld name himself the Leader of Hunters for fun and games?" 

"Your broken jaw must hurt," he mocked.

"It's been broken before," she snarled.

"Twice," he finished, "The second one wasn't your fault, though. You told them you didn't want to trust Matthew after he nearly sold you to pirates the first time. To think that he'd leave you to die the second time you hunted together."

She shifted uncomfortably, "You didn't answer my question."

"Easier to keep control of both parties, don't you think?"

"Why is the underworld an asylum?" she asked, "Are you redecorating?"

He grabbed her jaw painfully, she winced but said nothing, He looked her over, "How is it that you banded together two different parties to kill a millennia old vampire for you?"

"Must be my optimistic disposition."

"Hm," he pulled away and wiped his hand on his overcoat.

"Do you take a personal interest in all hunters like this?" she demanded, "I doubt all attempted escapers get a personal visit from the lord of the underworld."

"No, just the cockroaches that murder my children."

Mina stopped, he watched as her whole body went rigid, "So Jekyll isn't a liar then."

He didn't bother to hide his rage, "It was Dracula by the way. I know you probably have to go back and figure out which one you killed but it was _him."_

"He did this to me," she hissed, "And you manipulated me into going hunting."

"No, your mother not loving you anymore made you go into hunting. I just took an opportunity that was presenting to me to send you off to die," he shrugged.

She didn't seem to believe him, "I'm sure you'd have went to seek me out if I stayed."

"Nothing of the sort," he smiled wider knowing ultimately something that she didn't, "I'd have let you go. Contrary to what you might think, I didn't ultimately approve of my son's decisions. And while you still led the charge in killing him, you lost your best friend, her fiancé, your husband, your baby and your father. You'd be dressed up and thrust back into a society that didn't understand what happened to you. I'd felt you suffered enough. But as always, Mrs. Harker, you didn't know when to stop, and I took advantage of an opportunity. You took it too far and the only person you have to blame for where you are now is yourself."

He turned to leave, confidant that he'd won.

"He'd never have let me go," Mina called after him, "He'd have come back and he made it very clear that he would've eventually come to get his revenge. I did nothing wrong by making sure it didn't happen."

He looked back at her. He wasn't lying when he said he didn't agree with what Ichor did to her. He didn't like what his son became but it was till his son and what ultimately happened was because she went after him.

"Unfortunately, eventually he would've let you go," Hades opened the door, "He got bored of all of them except for Alina, he always did."

"And I would've been a monster."

"IF you survived the newborn phase and developed yourself, you never would've been _just_ a monster."

"Hunters would've killed me."

"A hunter killing a monster, imagine that."

"I don't apologize for protecting myself."

"One shouldn't have to," he agreed, "But he's a god and unfortunately for you, his mother and I loved him very much."

"Will I be expecting a visit from her too then?"

"I hope not for your sake," he went forward and took her face again. She pulled back and tried to push him away but he held his grip, "Come here, stop. The Queen, you'll find, is not as friendly as me."

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It was with a day's worth of gritted teeth, fist tightening and half journeys to the dock before Persephone finally tasked herself to obeying her husband's wishes and staying out of this hero debacle.

He wouldn't lie. If she chose to interfere, there would be no consequences. He wasn't as regressive as his brothers, he took no pride in ruling his family with an iron will. She was free to do as she pleased, as was their children when they were old enough.

Which some might think was what got them in this whole mess in the first place.

It was because of that, that she listened to him when they disagreed, she obeyed him when he didn't want her to kill these 'heroes' or torture the Harker woman just yet.

She had an eternity for all that after all.

Her husband had to be playing the long game, that was it. He was never one for outer rage, his was tranquil and quiet. The only time she'd seen him visibly angry was when he found out she'd been raped by his brother.

Then Zagreus died by Hera's hand, their children took to the Overworld to avenge his death by taking it out on the humans and here they were.

Did that make her weak? Were her children really risking death to be on the front lines to avenge her? They didn't listen to her when she asked them more than once to stop. They just kept spreading destruction and creating their little monsters.

If she wasn't strong enough to protect her little baby, no wonder her husband didn't want her there to endure the living being there.

Maybe she was a weakness too.

"My lady?"

Persephone looked up and saw Eurydice standing there waiting. She must've drifted off in her thoughts, "What is it?"

"My lady, it's time to look over the laws that are set to expire today."

Persephone cleared her throat, "Of course."

It was a fact that as humanity evolved, the old ways up above became obsolete. So, therefore they became obsolete down here too. Persephone always made sure to keep on top of such things. If laws contrasted in two different worlds, she just exercised her best judgment in dealing with it.

"Do you need me to help you review them, your majesty?" Eurydice asked.

"No, thank you, Eurydice but I have these known by heart now," she pulled out some new parchment though. She needed to put down new laws. The rules of the living entering in here, the punishment for god killers had always been too lax. It was never permanent until now, so no one had cared. "You may go."

"Your majesty?"

"Yes," Persephone looked up.

"Your majesty, I wondered if I might see Orpheus if you're done with my services for the rest of the day."

Persephone watched her. She remembered the story like it was yesterday. Orpheus had been her husband, he'd been a gifted musician and she herself had been a nymph and Persephone's niece through Apollo. Eurydice's life had been tragically cut short when she was killed by a snake. Orpheus loved her so much that he had managed to make his way down to the underworld; a feat, that until recently, was unheard of. He played his lyre so well that even Hades and Persephone were moved.

But she also saw an opportunity to give her husband a gift. And so there, she devised a test. Orpheus was free to have his wife back. She would follow him the way he came out of the underworld but he was not allowed to look back at her until both reached the world of the living.

He made it to the entrance until his doubt and worry got the better f him and he looked back. He lost his wife for a second time that day. He himself was later torn apart by his fellow humans and sent to live down here.

To sit in the Underworld in the throne room with the rest of the musicians that pleased her husband; Persephone's gift to Hades.

Some might think she was cruel. She did not, she had given him a chance when she truly didn't have to. He had failed, like she knew he would, and both were honored after their deaths when they didn't have to be. Eurydice was her lady in waiting and Orpheus was a favorite of Hades.

"You may see him if he is not playing," Persephone told her, "But remember to have him back by nightfall so he might play for the children."

Eurydice bowed and went to leave.

The door to her office opened, she looked up to see that Sheriff….or rather Mayor James now walked in.

She never really liked him. She generally did not care much for those her husband chose to put in power. That was his game though. He put those corrupt just so he could take it away later.

And because most of those corrupt ruled far longer than most heroes did.

She took James in. She had expected him to lost everything upon six months after his death but somehow here he was several promotions later, standing in front of her as the mayor of his district.

"Your majesty," he bowed.

She watched him, "It appears we're getting your heart back today."

"Well, that's good news."

"I should hope so, you look terrible," he looked far more haggard than what he normally did. There was something off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it, "Have you been getting enough rest?"

"Too much to do. Moving into my office and….clearing out her heart boxes….figuring out who the new sheriff is going to be."

"Hades decides that, not you."

He watched her and lowered his head, "Of course."

She stood up, "Come along."

"Where?"

Persephone shot him a look, "Cora's trial of course."

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Persephone had never really known a mighty human, to her, they all cowered and begged for mercy if she was angered. They were rewarded if they did well, but she never knew anyone that really truly impressed her.

Cora was no exception. She supposed to the people that dealt with her, the people whose hearts she ripped out and terrorized, she was striking but to a god, she was nothing more than a tyrant who never reached her full potential.

Half potential was catastrophic enough.

So, when she was brought to the throne room, dressed in black with her hair in a bun and crooked posture, Persephone new the game. She was trying ot make herself look meek and humble. Persephone knew her history. She wasn't buying it.

"Lady Cora," Persephone started and looked at the new mayor James standing a few steps down from her feet, "You are charged with stealing a heart and breaking all the rules of the natural order. How do you plead?"

Cora looked at her, "Not guilty, your Grace."

Persephone sighed, must they do this? When children were caught red handed, they still found a way to lie in the hopes that somehow it would get them out of trouble, "Explain how the heart came to be out of James's chest and into a box in your apartment, then."

"Anyone can enter an apartment as small as that, the locks are secured with magic but magic can be broken by someone who read a few books and had an enternity to practice."

"And who would do such a thing?"

"I have my enemies, more than I remember in fact. You've granted me amnesty in return for my ruling this distract as mayor. I can not be charged for what I did before I died."

"Which is null and void if you continued your crimes," Persephone leaned back.

"Anyone could've planted that heart in my home, it wasn't me. They left it in my house where anyone could find it."

Persephone doubted this would take long. She waved for Panic to open the door to the left. She didn't need to look to see who came in. She'd already called him to witness that morning.

Henry, her late husband, that her daughter killed trembled before both women but ultimately bowed at Persephone's feet, "Your grace."

Persephone kept her eyes on Cora, "The heart was not left in plain sight, Cora. Henry, where did you find the box?"

"In her room, your grace, in a panel that was hidden by a tapestry."

Cora shook her head, "no."

"Your husband showed us the panel after they searched your entire home and nearly gave up," Persephone stated, "He assures us when we interviewed him that only you have access to that room. You won't even allow your maid in to clean it."

"But-."

"Blocked with magic too," Persephone shook her head and sighed, "Cora based on this evidence and the testimony of your husband; I hereby declare you guilty as charged. Your punishment for this as well as your multitude of other crimes is that you are stripped of all rights and titles and you will spend the foreseeable future in Monaxiá Prison until madness take you or mercy is granted."

The guards came forward to take Cora. James followed her at a respectful pace.

Panic gave her the box that contained the heart, "I do believe this belongs to you."

"Thank you," he started to turn away.

"Where are you going?" Persephone asked.

"To….go put it back in privately?"

"Fine," Persephone went to get her coat, "Pain and Panic will make sure she's secure until morning. You get some rest."

"What's morning?"

Persephone smirked, "We're taking her to Monaxiá."

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Emma held the bottle of rum in her hand and stared down at the table as she sat there with just her thoughts.

She was doing the right thing, right?

Was it the right thing if she had to lie to her son?

"That's mine, you know."

Emma looked over see Killian went up to sit beside her.

"Mine now," Emma told him and took another drink.

"Bae asleep?"

"Yeah, his body's trying to replace the blood that it lost, so we're feeding him and putting him to bed. Which really isn't far from how it normally goes in Storybrooke."

Killian gave a chuckle and took the bottle from her, downing some of it himself, "But you're happy….with him?"

Emma smiled a bit, "Yeah, I'm happy." "And Henry's safe and he's happy with him as well?"

"He is. He just went through a growth spurt, he's a straight A student, we're all making it work."

Sadness passed his eyes and he swallowed, "Good."

"Yeah."

"It's good you're happy," he smirked, "Would have been ecstatic with me though."

"Pretty sure the presence of your baby mama would've ruined that."

"We could've brought her into our relationship, I doubt she'd have minded," his smirk fell a bit, "Did she look for me?"

"She didn't think you'd be in that world when I met her, we didn't have that conversation about where you were."

"I meant before she even went to Storybrooke. Did she ever…did she ever say if she looked for me to tell me she was pregnant?"

"Yes," Emma looked at him, "She did. When she found out she was pregnant, she went to look for you."

It wasn't the full truth though. Emma wouldn't tell him that Mina didn't look as hard as she could have…or why she didn't. That wasn't her place.

"You know, I don't think many here will tell you this, but it was a brave thing you did to sacrifice yourself to save us from Mr. Dark."

Killian poured himself another drink and just drank it quietly.

Emma frowned, "Killian?"

"So, I hear that you're the one taking care of my daughter?"

Emma smiled, "Yes, I am."

"Could you tell me everything? She's all I think about now."

Emma bounced a bit too excitedly in her seat, "Killian, she's absolutely beautiful, she has the most beautiful blue eyes…."

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Centuries Ago

The ship was eerily quiet when Liam woke up.

And then he realized that he wasn't in his own bed. He sat up to look around a small windowless cabin. Fear jolted through him as he stood up. He had to be dreaming, this wasn't home.

"Killian," he shook his drowsy brother, "Killian get up."

He pulled his brother to a sitting position and ran for the door. He had heard of kidnappings but they never took children off ships and they'd have had to kill his dad to take them away, so why were they here?

The door opened, Liam nearly collided with a man's chest, "Are you looking for your father?"

"Who are you?" Liam demanded.

"He left," The man said, "Sold both of you to me and left."

"That's a lie, father would never-."

"Then how did you get here boy?" the man looked between the two of them, "Your father isn't what you think. He's a pirate; a thief, a fugitive of the law. He's murdered innocent people, and he's sold you to me."

Liam took a step back.

"What?" the man asked, "Did you really think your pirate father would show mercy to you?"

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Present Day

It was getting to be dark when Milah finally left Neal's room. She was exhausted and it was only Rumple's nagging that convinced her he'd make it through the night without joining their ranks.

She found Liam leaning against the wall at the bottom of the stairs, "You look happy for someone that just let themselves be alone with the husband that murdered them."

"My son actually let me talk today without shutting me down," she sat on the stairs and smiled, "I think maybe if I keep working on him, he might forgive me. I'm sated for the day."

"And then you'll fix your unfinished business and leave to go to…whatever fate you've earned for yourself," Liam muttered.

Milah narrowed her eyes, "Oh, well no…I mean- maybe? Hey, what's going on with you?"

"I mean, I'm worried about what's going to happen to us after."

"Yeah, I get that, but my son is here and his girlfriend."

"And the man that murdered you."

'Yeah well, I'm trying to focus on positives like that one therapist said," Milah said.

"You went to her _once,"_

"Because I don't need therapy, I've made peace with what I am and that's the entire point of therapy anyway," Milah watched him, "But it's more with you, isn't it? I know when you're hiding something, I've known you for way too long."

"Fine," Liam looked around, "Not here, I don't want anyone to hear."

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A Few Hours Ago

Edward Teach was tall enough and had enough presence to make the bar seem to shrink around Liam. He has an effect on everyone around him, they all kept their eyes downcast in respect as he looked over his son. Liam kept eye contact but he was a quivering mess inside.

"So, after centuries of trying communications, my firstborn decides he's willing to see me after all," Blackbeard said. Liam noticed his father did not have kind eyes. It was a strange thing to notice but even when he was a child, his eyes were not soft.

"it's not a bonding experience," he said, finding his voice.

"So, you need something."

"You owe us something after abandoning us."

"You don't know the full story, son."

"I don't care about the full story," Liam snapped.

"Then what's so urgent that you finally decide that I should grace you with my presence?"

 _He sold you_

Liam wrapped his arms around himself, "There's a woman that just died. But we can't find her, she's not in the directory."

"Then she's in the pit, or in paradise."

"Doubtful, not her."

"Why's she important?"

"That's not your concern."

"It is if you're coming to me."

Liam really didn't want his pirate father knowing more than he already did, "She's my sister."

"You don't have a sister," Blackbeard growled, "I kept an eye on all the women I was with. You were the only whelps I fathered. And your mother, may she rest in peace, would not have survived a third child."

Liam closed his eyes and tried to conjure up any memory he had of his mother, in truth he could pass her in this place and never truly recognize her, "She's a sister to me."

Blackbeard took a moment, "What's she to Killian then?"

"I'm sorry?"

"You've been dead too long to form any real relationships. So, has Milah. But Killian hasn't been dead a year, therefore if she's just arrived she must be linked with him if you see her as a sister," he looked amused, "So is she his wife then?"

"Something like that."

"Mother of his child then," Blackbeard watched his son's reaction, "This would be easier if you didn't resist every step of the way."

Liam was shaking with rage, "The people that bought us told us the same thing."

Blackbeard stopped and sighed, "There's only one sort place I can think of she might be. There are islands all over this place that hold prisoners. They don't put them in the directory, they just take them to a cell and leave them there until they go insane from the isolation. But she'd have to do something terrible to end up there, so what sort of woman is she?"

Liam shifted, "I'm not telling you that."

"Oh really?"

If he told his father that she helped kill the same god twice, her value to others might go up. He didn't expect his father would just give Mina over to them safe and sound if she had any real value he could extort, "How do I get her out?"

"If you have a solid plan, we could get her out, for a price of course."

Here it came, "And what would that price be?"

"You and your brother come and hear the full story about what truly happened."

Liam shook his head, "I will, but not Killian."

"That's the price. I'm risking my neck for some woman I've never met who is so dangerous she was locked away by gods. The least you two can do in payment is listen to your father."

"I have to talk to Killian about it."

"That would be easiest, wouldn't it?"

'Yes."

"Too bad; it's yes or no now."

Liam didn't allow himself to think about it, if he thought about it, he'd have realized how insane this was and refused, "Fine."

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Present

"You promised him WHAT?!"

Liam didn't know when Killian had come into the room, he didn't hear anyone until he heard his brother's voice behind him.

And this wasn't the way he wanted his brother to find out

He slowly turned and saw his furious brother and Emma standing behind him. He tried to think of something to say but realized he couldn't, "Killian."

"You went to him, out of all the people in this place, you went to him," Killian shouted.

"Killian," Emma whispered.

"No, stay out of this," Killian moved away, "You don't know what was done to us because of our father."

"What's going on?" Neal demanded as he came into the room.

"She is in one of the Asylums. Probably the closest one here. I did what I had to to get to her," Liam told him.

"Charming's getting her out."

"Charming might get her out that door but what happens when he gets to the water? Our father has the fastest ship in this place."

"I'm not taking her on that ship!" Killian screamed, "I'm not getting on it, and Emma isn't getting on it either."

"Hey, you don't speak for me," Emma said sharply.

"It's not happening," Killian said again, "If I have to steal another boat when we get her out, then we're doing it, but I will not step one foot near our father or ask for his help. He is the reason I am the way that I am. He is the reason that the things that were done to us were done. I will not hear his lies now."

"Killian!" he tried to call after his brother and then winced when he heard the door at the end of the hallway slam, "Killian!"

Emma stood in silence for a few moments and looked at Liam, "It's a good plan?" 

"It has to be, it's the one we're doing."

"There's more to just saving Mina, isn't there?" Emma asked. "You haven't exactly been warm to us being here."

"Yeah, I know, I'm sorry, I wish I could," He told her honestly, "But if he tells us his story and that's his unfinished business…."

"Then he moves on."

"And either option is good with me, just as long as he never bothers us again," Liam said and left.

Emma passed a look to Milah, who sighed and took a drink, "Our family is ridiculous with its drama."

Emma chuckled, "You have no idea."

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Neal took it upon himself to follow Killian to the other room before anyone else did. He really shouldn't have. There was a voice in the back of his head telling him that he didn't owe Killian anything after the trouble that he caused him.

But despite himself, he was worried and he did it anyway.

Killian was frantically pacing the room when he came in, "What do you want?"

"I'm checking on you," he walked further into the room, "So I guess that stuff you told me about your dad when I was a kid was true."

"I didn't tell you any of the things that happened to me and Liam afterwards because of him," Killian muttered, "Those men hurt Liam and me when we were kids. And what I may have done to you was unforgivable, but I would never ever let anyone do _that."_

Neal let him talk. He understood the implications, he knew how it was out in the sea when women were in short demand and there were those that couldn't fight back, "I'm sorry."

"I didn't know how to have a relationship with Milah, I didn't know how to have a fam-," he stopped, "They told me that what I was was what a man should be. And it wasn't until Snow's husband that I saw differently."

"You should probably calm down."

"He'll sell her. Liam didn't tell him why she was there. That'll make him curious and then she'll be sold to the highest bidder. She'll go from one hell to the other and why shouldn't she when he sold his own kids!"

"That won't happen."

"Yes, it will."

"Emma's mastered her magic, and we have my dad here."

"Like he won't use her like he does everyone."

"Hope not, she's sort of his adopted granddaughter."

Killian stopped, "What?" 

"But she didn't know that when she met you."

Killian seemed dazed but shook it off and continued pacing, "There's another way. There has to be, we can use magic."

"It's probably protected."

"I don't want my father involved with this," Killian almost sounded small, but there was enough rage in his voice that he was still the captain that Neal was very familiar with, "There has to be another way."

"We'll find it if there is one."

"There better be," Killian went to leave.

Liam was standing outside the door, "Where are you going?!"

"TO FEED THE ACTUAL MAYOR WE'RE KEEPING IN THE BASEMENT!" Killian yelled as he went down the stairs.

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Hades spent most of his day going over new protocols with Jekyll to secure the facility, while taking correspondence from things going on in the mainland. The group hadn't left the house, not after the attack on Rumpelstiltskin's son. Cora had been found guilty and was going to be put in Jekyll's care in the morning. She'd probably stop and see the Harker girl on the way there, but it was out of his hands. Persephone did what Persephone did.

Just like him.

He pulled up to the house that he knew very well and walked up the steps. He pressed the doorbell and waited.

He saw the Storybrooke ex-sheriff freeze before he even opened the door. He put on the most condescending polite smile that he could when Graham opened the door.

"Deputy, what a wonderful time to see you're here."

"Lord Hades."

"I know they're here," he told him jovially, "And I'd like to talk to them."

He tried to look innocent, "Who?"

"Oh, any chance you might have had at deception was gone the minute James tried to kill them last night."

"Please," Graham whispered, "Don't hurt them, or my family. It was my idea-." 

"I have no interest in harming your family at the moment but I'm sure once the heroes are out of the way, we're going to have a long long talk."

"It's alright, Graham," the familiar voice said from the stairwell.

Hades brightened in glee when he heard the voice, "Rumpelstiltskin."

He stuck his head in and grinned at the Dark One, "How lovely to see you again!"

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There were a lot of them, that's what Hades first noticed. For a house, even this big, it had to be crowded.

They were all nervous and Hades reveled in it. He took a cookie and dipped it in milk. The sound of him eating was the only thing that filled the room. He took a look at Rumple's ring finger and smirked, "Congratulations, how long has it been?"

"A week," Belle said after a moment of silence.

"A week," Hades nodded, "Well let's pray to well…. _my family_ that it doesn't go the way the last ones did."

Milah shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, I'm sure the tensions in this house are to be expected, so lets cut this short and talk about your leaving. Charon of course will take you back to Storybrooke-."

"I'm not leaving," the savior said.

"Of course you are, there's no reason for you to be down here yet. Keep at it though, and you'll be a new addition before you know it. You've luckily cheated death how many times? Tyche must like you."

"I'm here to see Mina Harker."

"Can't."

"Won't is more like it," Emma said, "All we have to do is talk to her and we'll be gone, that's all."

"I have no reason to let her talk to any of you," Hades watched them, a smug look in his eye, "And we both know that you won't settle with just talking to her. You'll want her safe, you'll want her happy. Well, I'm afraid as a loving father, I can't abide that." 

"Do you know what your son did to her and her family?" Rumpelstiltskin said, "I'm a loving father too. Alexander Murray, Mina's father, died because of your son."

"And he was your foster son, for what now? 3 years? 5 years? You pawned him off on hunters and that's how this whole mess started on your end. It's amazing how easily you let your sons go."

"That's enough," Baelfire said.

"There's the boy that led to all of your world's troubles. Oh Baelfire, your murderous father and your neglectful murderous mother in the same room? Your stepfather who sold you out and then took an interest in your son's mother? Your step uncle forming a relationship with the man that died because he fell in love with the same child's mother? With family connections like that, you're right on the way to becoming your version of a Greek hero."

"We know she helped kill your son," Baelfire continued, undaunted, "I get that you're a father, and I get that you're grieving. But it doesn't have to be like this. Mina's father hunted him, he hunted Mina's father and then her family, Mina hunted him twice and now you're punishing her, where does it end? It doesn't have to be a cycle of revenge."

Hades thought it over, he supposed if he was human then it might start to sway him. But he knew that no matter what, he would win and they would all die and come to his realm.

"It ends when all of your souls are down in Monaxiá in little cells isolated from everyone else for your parts in the murders of not one but two gods, and that extends to everyone, even your son," he gave a pointed look at Emma, "And everyone in Storybrooke that had anything to do with their deaths."

Emma processed what he said and then reached for a knife. Hades slammed the palm of his hand down on the table, sending waves of pain to everyone in front of him. They all crumbled in agony. He didn't relent until blood started leaking from their noses. He crushed the glass with his bare hands in rage and sent the shards flying across the table.

"You think something like that would harm something like me?" he hissed and pulled Emma Swan to a sitting position, "Why is Mina Harker so special that you came down here when there are plenty of bodies in your wake that you didn't think twice about coming down here over."

Emma was gritting her teeth in agony, "She sent us."

"Who?"

"A dream, she asked for help in a dream."

He started to ask more questions, when something slammed against him from behind. He stumbled only once. He heard the growl of a wolf behind him. He turned only to walk right into the female wolf. She grabbed him by the neck and slammed him into the wall.

He couldn't be bothered. Without a word, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a bloody wedding ring.

Emma recognized it immediately, "What are you doing to her?"

"It's not what I'm doing to her, no. But it's what I'm going to do to her…to all of you that you should worry about."

He let the ring clatter on the floor, and waved his hands.

The wolf pulled away before she could be pulled towards the palace with him, as he disappeared in blue flames.

He'd made his point.

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Emma was the first to move, she scrambled across the floor and grabbed Mina's ring before it could be lost.

"Dad was right," Emma whispered, "She has to be in that place Hades said…that place he said we were all going to."

"Monaxiá"

Emma nodded and stared at the ring, "She's hurt, she's trapped, we have to get her out, we have to go."

"Love," Killian sighed, "We don't even know where that is. It doesn't mean anything to us."

"We can't wait," Emma said.

"Your father will go with Persephone in the morning, we have to have faith that he can keep the cover for that long in order to locate her and extract her," Liam told them.

Killian rolled his eyes and walked out of the room.

"Killian," Emma stood up.

Neal put his hand on Emma's, "Let him be."

"We have bigger things to worry about," Milah finally said, and when eyes were on her, she took a breath, "If this insane plan works and we get her out of that place, what do we do once she's out. I know none of you have thought that far since you all get to get out the moment you want to but we don't. So, lets starts planning."

There was a moment of silence before Neal went to sit down with his mother, "There has to be like a pocket area that maybe no one pays attention to. Maybe a cabin or something with some land."

"I can conjure some magic," Rumple went to sit as well, "but I'll need help, and we'll need to do it before we get her out of that place, we can't risk Hades finding it or us as we're taking her."

"You think he won't know?" Liam asked.

"If we get land far enough away where she can hide then we might. I'm sure leniency is out the window now."

Emma stumbled into the seat, barely listening. Whatever they would think of sounded good.

Mina's blood was on her hands, both literally and figuratively because she didn't protect her, and now she was being tortured and Emma's family was next in line.

What had she done?

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Graham had dealt with family squabbles before, the Jones-Milah dynamic was very dramatic. It was usually best to let everyone go their separate ways and calm down.

But this was bad, this was "Milah was told Killian sold her son out to Pan" bad, which was not something that had even remotely healed between them. So he backed off, waited until everyone went their separate ways and went upstairs to his and Liam's room.

Liam was already in bed. There was no snoring so Graham knew he was awake.

"You want to talk about it?" he asked.

"I spent my whole life protecting my brother as best I could," Liam said after a minute, "And to try and do my part and protect this woman he fathered a child with, I dropped him right at our father's feet."

Graham sat on the bed and turned, "It was a brave thing you did to face him."

"It was a cowardly thing for him to insist Killian get pulled in on it too. Nothing can justify what he let them do to us and I don't want to sit by and have to hear his excuses."

"Okay," Graham went to lay next to him.

"I won't lose Killian over this, not after I failed him as many times as I have."

"Okay," Graham went to spoon him.

"We have to think of another way to get her off that island."

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Neal walked beside his girlfriend as they headed upstairs for the night.

"Do you think it'll work?" he asked.

"Maybe," Emma said with what he knew was false confidence, "There's a lot we have to work out though."

"A hidden pocket area that she'll have to hide in for a long long time, that'll be bound to drive her crazy."

"How long do you think?"

"If gods see time differently than us, maybe millennia."

Emma put her hand on the bannister for support, "….well, we'll be down here before then. We'll just find a way to escape the asylum and join her. We'll have all the time in the world, right?"

"Maybe he'll just see the light and boot us all to hell."

"That's another hurdle we have to figure out," Emma looked over his shoulder and nudged him when she saw his mom come out, "Neal."

He turned, saw her and then turned back to Emma, "Can you give us a minute?"

"Yeah, I have to get in contact with my mom anyway."

"Okay," he kissed her and turned to Milah, "Mother."

"Bae," her eyes shone with what he thought was love, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"Hades when we attacked us like that I was just….I was so worried about you."

"Well I'm fine, just don't want to be a burdon."

"You were never that," Milah said and cleared her throat, "I know that's hard to believe after everything that happened but-…gods Baelfire, you were never a burden."

"You thought papa was though."

"Your father and I will never see eye to eye on that and to preserve the peace, that's all I'm going to say about that," Milah swallowed, "But it was the right thing to leave you with him knowing what I know now about life on the sea…about what Killian was capable of doing to you."

"Well, papa dropped me down a portal so…."

"Killian sold you to your psychotic grandfather," Milah replied with a biting edge to her voice, her eyes flashed dangerously, "I left you with the father I believed…and still believe loves you."

"So, you know about what Killian did."

"Of course I know, do you think he'd be able to hide a lie like that from me once he got down here?" Milah walked forward, "I've tried to grow beyond what I was all those centuries ago. And I know that's hard for you to understand but I want you to know that I'm willing to try. I just hope that you give me that chance."

"Okay," Baelfire started to go up the stairs and then stopped, he didn't want to leave things like this, not when she seemed to want to try

What if she hurt him again?

He worked on forgiving papa, he worked on tolerating Killian, he shouldn't ignore his own mother, "I started a home."

"A what?"

"A home…when I was in Neverland, there were lost boys that were like me and when we brought them back from Neverland…I mean, they were damaged…a lot like I was. So with help from papa, I opened a home to help them recover emotionally and mentally so they could have a safe place…and one day if they're lucky…. find a family of their own."

Milah actually looked proud of him, "That's fantastic, Baelfire."

He took the next step, "Would you like to see my son?" 

"I'd love to see your son."

He pulled out his own phone, his phone had nothing but videos and photos of him, the Lost Boys, and his family.

And his mother was a new person to brag to about his son.

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Belle was the forgiving type. Maybe a little too much so if anyone had anything to say about her marrying Rumplestiltskin and her…somewhat toleration towards Regina and Killian when he was alive.

But to witness him panic like he did, or what little slivers of it she saw, she felt for him. As everyone went to planning for the night, Belle slipped away, she went to get a couple of bottles of rum and found him sitting on the steps outside the house.

"Not safe for you to be out here," he told her.

"IT's alright, I'm pretty sure if Hades wanted us dead, we'd be so," she offered him one of the bottles. He accepted it and Belle took it as her invitation to sit down.

"Still not safe."

"Because they're a danger or you are?" Belle asked.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Killian looked at her, she saw the broken man underneath, "I'm sorry I kept trying to in the past. You didn't deserve that just because you were in love with _him."_

"It's alright," Belle took a sip and winced at the taste, "I forgave you."

"It didn't even matter because once Milah heard….well we're not together anymore. We all failed that boy all those centuries ago. I suppose I am my father's son after all," He took another drink, "Things could have been so different…with Bae, with Lizzie. I would've- I would've done it differently with Mina if I knew she was pregnant."

"It really hurts you that you didn't know, doesn't it?" Belle didn't know why she was surprised. Maybe it was because he tried to kill her all those times. That didn't really give her the mental image of him happily bouncing a daughter on his knee.

Killian stared at his feet, laughed bitterly, and took another drink, "I'm my father's son. I abandon my children."

Belle watched him, "My father…tried to marry me off to a man that saw me as an asset instead of a person. And when we all got here and I woke up and chose Rumple, he tried to erase my memory. I know a thing or two about bad fathers. You're not alone, you know, if you want to talk."

"Best not," Killian said after some consideration, "Things I've been through are already too painful." 

"Okay," Belle said, "Would you like me to sit here?"

Killian stared at his drink, "The crocodile won't like it."

"I make my own decisions."

"I'm not good company."

"It's about what I would like, would YOU like some company?"

He sighed, "I would rather not be alone right now, no. But I don't wish to talk."

"Fine," Belle said and passed that terrible drink off to him, "We'll just sit here then."

Killian shrugged and looked back at the phone that held a photo of his daughter, "It occurred to me that I could've seen her through the mirror."

"We'll put it down for tomorrow," Belle promised.

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Emma shut herself up in the bathroom and covered the mirror when she was placing the call to her mother through that enchanted mirror that they brought with them.

When she saw her drowsy mother with bedhead, she immediately cursed, "You were asleep, I'm so sorry."

"No honey, I was just taking an early evening nap. The babies were keeping me awake. What's happened?"

"Everything," Emma ran a hand through her hair, "And nothing."

The whole story came out. She told her mother about their fates once they died, and how Hades had easily taken them all down. Why he hadn't killed all of them, Emma didn't know but she voiced her concerns to her mother anyway.

"He says we all have a cell there, even Henry," Emma rubbed her temples, "I can't let him die only to spend eternity trapped in a little cell somewhere on some island."

"Emma, you just have to remind him that he's a father too."

"We did remind Hades and we didn't do anything wrong when we defended ourselves from Dracula and Mr. Dark but then somehow there's a part of me that thinks deep down that maybe we didn't."

"There was no other way, we came to you because we couldn't defeat MR. Dark and Pandora's box didn't work. We were out of options." 

"I know," Emma told her, "But…I mean I can't help but think they're parents too. I mean how would I feel if someone killed my kids…kid." 

"You wouldn't do this."

"I don't know what I would do if Henry or Lizzie was killed." Emma admitted, "Am I even doing good being here when we can leave and they can't?"

"I think…," Snow started, "There's a lot of good you can do. I know you don't see it and you worry about Henry and being there but I think that if you want to help people find their happy endings and peace, then death is just another place to do it...if you want to."

"I just want to see Mina off safely, that's all I wanted. I didn't expect it to be all this. 

"Your friend is in danger," Snow said, "Even Henry knows you have to save her. He said it himself, he knows this time you have to save her and everyone you can while you're down there."

"Hades can kill us anytime he wants."

"So, could the others we fought," Snow told her, "But if you just decide you want to come home, that's alright too."

"I know I can't," Emma told her, "But it's a lot easier knowing Henry has my back."

"Oh, the babies are awake," Snow took the mirror and walked over to the crib.

Emma smiled as she heard the babies gurgling back and forth to each other. She watched her mother turn on the lamp so she could see them smile at Snow and then at Emma. She put her hand on Lizzie's image, "Hi sweetie, hi. I'm sorry I'm not there right now, but I'm going to bring your mommy peace, I promise. Then I'll be home, and then….we'll take you to your grandmother and figure out how we're going to make an arrangement."

If she couldn't have Lizzie, she at least wanted to see her as much as possible.

Snow waved Lizzie and baby Robert's hand, "We love yoooou."

Emma smiled, despite herself, "I'm sorry dad can't be here."

"It's okay, he's deep undercover, we can't compromise that."

"You'll get him back, I promise."

"I better," Snow told her, "And all of you be safe."

"You too," Emma tucked some hair behind her ear, "Better go wake up Regina. She has a girlfriend waiting to talk to her too."

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"It's a lot to take in," Red told Regina through the mirror as they sat on their beds talking, "There's just so much here for everyone to deal with."

"I'm glad I'm not there, really," Regina told her, "I don't think I'd last very long."

Red sighed, "I think this place could do you some good."

"How so?" Regina asked, "I'm just realizing the extent of the things I've done. I don't think that's something anyone wants to hear after being dead for thirty years."

"Yeah well what better redemption then showing them how much you're willing to make amends?" Red asked, "And…..and it would anchor me better."

"Hey, you're strong enough to anchor yourself."

"I thought I'd have to kill Hades tonight," Red told her, "What's scary is how easy I was slipping in to that mentality. And it sucks because years ago, that wouldn't be the case."

"Years ago; I changed that. It's my fault."

"I just really wish you were here with me," Red told her.

"Well, chances are one day I will be," Regina shrugged.

Red understood the implication, "That's morbid."

"Well I'm definitely not going to paradise and I'm sure as hell not going to the pit without a fight."

"I'll go to that asylum since I helped kill Dracula. I just threatened Hades, no way are we getting a normal purgatory."

"I'll break you out," Regina smirked, "If it's that expansive, there's plenty of places to hide."

"You on the run from an oppressive force?" she raised an eyebrow, "Tables have turned."

"I was hoping I'd live in a palace but godkilling doesn't seem to make that hope very promising."

Red smirked and then went to touch the mirror, to touch the woman she loved as close as she should, "I love you."

"I love you too."

"It's almost over, we'll be back."

"You better, I'm not burying another love."

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Emma knew it was time, she knew her mind, she knew like she just knew it was always going to be Neal.

She came into their room. Neal was sitting on the bed, "I just spent time bonding with my mom."

Emma grinned, "You did?"

"It was weird and awkward at first but I think maybe we might be on the path to something."

Emma sat on the bed, "I'm happy for you."

He tilted his head, "You didn't agree with me being angry, did you?"

"You have every right to be angry with the people that hurt you, and it's not for me to judge. You're an adult…several times over. It's up to you."

"Thank you for supporting me," his hand found hers.

Emma squeezed it and took a breath, "Neal? I'm ready."

He straightened up immediately, he knew what she meant. Emma had put off the next step. They had found a family house for obvious reasons like walls, but Henry had nightmares and Lizzie was always awake at the wrong time…and the nursery was right across the hall from their room. Baby Robert who was always awake when Lizzie was asleep. They didn't want Emma's parents having to go take care of their son and hear THAT.

But it was them, here, and they were supporting each other in a place with walls and no babies or kids nearby.

It was just time.

"You're sure?"

She nodded.

"I'll stop if you want," he promised.

"I'm not going to want you to stop," she told him.

"Well, just in case," he went to move on top of his girlfriend.

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When Hades got to his house and sat in his car for a few moments, he realized what he risked in going at the visitors like he had. He had endangered himself. His wife and children had had no idea where he was.

It was stupid and reckless and they deserved better.

He was better than this. He was smarter. But he saw all of them, especially Emma Swan and he wanted to wring their necks.

But he couldn't. He couldn't risk the off chance his brother might come down to address the situation and get near Persephone and Melinoë.

So, he took a breath, he pulled himself together and he went into the palace. He checked on each and every one of his children, noting a couple of empty beds for the smaller ones, and finally went to the master bedroom where he and his wife slept.

Persephone was still awake, he saw her staring at the fire, stroking the hair of Penelope, who was curled into her side.

"Hey," she whispered, "I was worried. Where were you?"

"Shh," he went to lift up his daughter. Penny wrapped her arms around his neck. He stroked her back and gave her to one of the guards to take back to her room.

"We have to talk," he whispered and went to sit down. A lump and an indignant squeak from under the covers led to the discovery of Adrian, a son with the most untamable hair. He gave the sobbing surprised boy a hug and put him in another's guard's arms to take to bed.

"Hades, at least let us sooth him."

"He's fine. He'll stop before he even reaches the end of the hallway," Hades sat down and took a breath.

"I'm sorry for what I said this morning," Persephone told him, "I know you're grieving."

"In half a year, we've lost two of our sons and you doubt that I mourn them," Hades told her, "You are wrong. It's all I think about when I'm awake, when I'm eating, or when I'm sleeping and I'd like nothing more than to make them pay but I also have you and the children to think about. Underestimating an enemy is the worst thing we can do."

"I know. I don't doubt you grieve, I shouldn't have used it as a weapon."

"I went to see them," Hades confessed.

Persephone's eyes grew, "You _what?"_

"I wanted to prove I wasn't sitting idly by."

"You could've been killed!" Persephone hit him with a pillow, "I'VE LOST ENOUGH"

"OW!" He grabbed it when she hit him again, "The Harker bitch nearly escaped the asylum and I was trying to drive them away in case the next time it was successful. She took the minotaur out of commission, there's nothing really stopping her if she manages to get out again; except for a lucky sharpshooter."

"So then she'll get out if she can get outside."

"She's on lockdown in the infirmary right now, she has forty guards on her, until we can put her back in the bowels of that place."

"Further."

"Further," he promised.

"But not close to the titans," Persephone muttered and slammed her pillow angrily down for another sleepless night, "The last thing we need is for her to rally _them_ to try and kill us all too. I have to take Cora to Monoxiá tomorrow, I'd really rather NOT die by their hand."

She turned her back on him and lay down.

Hades was dreading this next part, he wrung his hands a bit and cleared his throat, "There's something else."

"What?" she asked without turning around.

"When I was kicking their ass in a very manly fashion, they told me why they were here. They told me that dreams brought them down here of the Harker bitch calling for help."

"The dead can't do that, they were liars."

"No," he tightened his fists, "But Melinoë can."

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Melinoë could only wait for tomorrow for James to get back from Monoxia with the location of where Mina Harker was.

So that was on the backburner for now, this next part had to be done perfectly.

She sat in her closet, with an old flashlight as her only light source. She stared down at the water in the goblet until the picture formed of the square that she had seen so many times in the past two weeks.

She was the goddess of nightmares, and that was what she was sending to Storybrooke


	4. 4B E03 - Barriers and Traps

Regina had been one of the lucky ones she supposed, that she didn't have to endure many of the Mina nightmares that her family did. It had happened twice and Regina hadn't cared. She'd had plenty of dreams in her past in which people she loved and hated stood there begging for her help and she couldn't or wouldn't give it.

She had the dreams the first two nights, and then when it didn't happen again, she didn't think much of it. She slept like a baby until Emma woke them all up announcing that more than one of them were having nightmares about the Harker woman.

Even in death, she and the Dracula mess were a pain in her ass. Regina still hadn't forgiven her for punching her in the face for listening to those tapes. Mina was a hunter, she'd do the exact same thing to Regina if she thought Regina was a threat.

But then that night after her family were gone to the underworld, problems started when Regina went to try and get a few hours of sleep.

 _She found herself standing in the middle of town square, she knew it was a dream deep down; The burned Volkswagen and collapsed rotting clock tower gave it away, but for some reason she couldn't pull herself out of it like she always could._

 _And Regina wanted to wake up more than ever when she knew before looking down that there were bodies all around her. They were practically in pieces. It was hard to recognize who was who until her eyes fell on a long tangled blonde hair and red jacket of Emma Swan._

 _Emma was covering something. Regina walked forward and put her hand on Emma's shoulder._

 _Please don't be this, please don't be this, please don't be this….._

 _A horrified cry left her mouth when she saw a bloody wolf under Emma. The brown fur and large frame told Regina immediately that it was Red._

 _"No!" she sobbed, "NONONONONONO"_

 _She pulled the head in her lap and sobbed, not again, she couldn't bury someone else._

 _She stood, stumbled around and looked up to look at the carnage around her. She saw Rumple's body covering Belle's. Charming was crushed under the clock tower, he had a sword in one hand, he was reaching for Emma with the other._

 _She heard someone gasp behind her. She turned just in time to catch Neal stumbling towards her. He was bleeding from the mouth. She didn't brace herself and went down with him when he collided._

 _Something blocked her light. She looked up to see Mina Harker standing over her with an… almost bored vacant expression in her eyes._

 _"This is your fault," Regina hissed, "We wouldn't be here if it's not for you"_

 _"You're not here are you?" Mina tilted her head, "But they are. SO are others and there are plenty of them. Dracula, Dark, Pan, your mother, your enemies, their enemies, all of them, they're here and you let your family walk right into the lion's den."_

 _"No-."_

 _Regina knew it was a dream, she had to get herself to wake up._

And finally, she did. The vision before her flickered and then it was gone.

And Regina pulled herself out of the dream, she scrambled out of the bed and stood up. She was safe in her room, it didn't happen, none of it happened, they weren't dead.

She heard the door open down the hallway. She knew from the steps that it wasn't Henry.

Regina didn't need to ask to know that Snow had had the same dream.

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Melinoë was the goddess of madness and nightmares. Zeus had given that title to her when she was born. The other gods might find it insulting and boring, like her siblings did. But Melinoë learned about the human world, she paid attention. And when gods were hurt or murdered by humans, she used her skills to make every waking and sleeping moment of the perpetrator miserable.

She tormented the Harker family for years with nightmares, and then doubled down when her brothers died.

By now, she was thousands of years old and tormenting them wasn't remotely challenging. It hadn't been since she was the human equivalent of five years old.

So, she was sending dreams to Snow and Regina. At the same time, she was giving each living and dead person in the Jones/Milah household a horrible night. If they were afraid to sleep, they'd be more tired and that made them more prone to make mistakes.

And if they made mistakes while exhausted, they could be more susceptible to be broken.

The sat with her charms with the lights off and did the ceremony she liked to do to send nightmares. It was relaxing in ansort of way, maybe tonight she'd actually be able to sleep herself.

And then there was the pounding at the door that pulled her out of her concentration and she lost them, all of them at the same time.

She pulled on her robe and answered it to find Pain and Panic both standing there, "What is it?"

"Your father and mother have requested your presence in bedroom."

"Why?" she wrapped the robe tighter, "What's happened?"

She looked between them but they didn't look like they heard her, "Your presence, my lady, is requested." 

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When Hades had her called into his quarters, he expected his daughter to at least look ashamed or nervous when he brought her in but she just looked annoyed.

He looked at his wife for reassurance. Persephone alternated between wrapping her arms around herself and playing with her braid. He looked back at their daughter and then back to his wife, like he was hoping that somehow his wife would take over or a meteor would somehow hit the Underworld so he wouldn't have to do this.

But his wife waited for him, he was the disciplinarian when their kids made major mistakes, and here he was now having to ask his daughter if all this was her fault.

"Papa?" Melinoë looked, "What is it?"

"Did you….," he stopped and took a breath, "Mellie, did you send nightmares to the intruders to bring the humans down here?"

The seconds stretched out into an eternity, he wanted her to avert her gaze or look ashamed, but Melinoë just watched him, "I did."

He let out a sigh.

"Oh gods," Persephone put her hands in front of her face and moved to walk in front of the roaring fireplace.

And something inside Hades snapped, he turned angrily to his daughter, "Are you INSANE? Have you gone crazy?!" 

"No, I have a plan."

"You _brought_ them here!"

"It's all under control. I have a plan-."

"No, no, you do not have a plan, you are a child playing with things that you can't possibly understand."

"I'm thousands of years old!"

"I. Don't. Care," Hades snapped.

"What's the plan?" Persephone asked.

"It doesn't matter what the plan is!" Hades told her, "Whatever it is, we're not doing it. We're not-."

"Don't talk over me!" Persephone told him and turned to her daughter, "I want to know what bringing down your brothers murderers will hope to accomplish. I want to know what you were thinking when you sent them nightmares knowing they would come here. I want to know what went through your mind when you saw us grieving, and decided to endanger more of your brothers and sisters. I want to know if you care that your parents now have to fix the problem that you've brought by trying to enact your vengeance."

"You're not my parents."

Persephone blinked, "Excuse me?"

"Well not both of you," Melinoë looked up, the betrayal written across her face, "You think I don't know whose daughter I really am? You think I don't know what happened? I hear the whispers, I see the looks. I know that my hair's dark like Zagreus when everyone else was born with red or blonde hair. I know my siblings only changed their appearances after what happened to Zagreus happened so the other gods couldn't identify them in case they wanted to tattle. My dad is Zeus. I know what he did to mom-."

"That's enough," Hades warned.

"I know what Hera did to my brother."

"Stop it now," he walked forward.

"We're all victims of gods and humans. Why should we let humans continue to kick us further?" Something terrifying must have been on his face because she paled when she looked at him and stepped back.

He forced himself to take a step back as well. It wasn't enough, he turned and walked to stand at the balcony that overlooked the ocean water. The smell and sound of the water didn't feel right with how angry he was. The ocean breeze did little to sooth how hot and feverish he felt that his daughter brought this down on their heads.

"You led them here to face us where we're vulnerable."

"No, it's our territory, we know this place, they don't. It's a maze. Not even Rumple could possibly know this place completely."

"No, we're fish in a barrel and you handed someone a gun and said fire. Your mother is right, you endangered all of us. How did you think this was going to go? That we were going to kill them and make them permanent residents?"

"No."

"Then what was the plan, Melinoë. I'm demanding answers as your father. Yes, I am your father. I don't care that Zeus created you, I raised you, I am your father. And the fact that you pulled out some little childlike 7-year-old argument like revealing you knew I wasn't who created you just proved to show that you have no idea what you're doing when you brought them here. You brought a savior and a dark one. Do you realize what that means? You brought powerful magic and one of your brother's creations here. Rumpelstiltskin is dangerous, he'll stop at nothing to make sure his family is safe and if that means coming after us, then he'll do it. You are nowhere near equipped to deal with someone like him. You have no experience, you have no training. You are a child playing with your toy army and thinking you are ready for war. It breaks my heart you did this, I was going to name you heir of the Underworld because I thought you had potential but now I have to sit down and rethink that decision."

Melinoë flinched at that and finally he got a reaction out of her that wasn't impassive self-defense.

She lowered her head and started sobbing, and he realized he'd gone too far. But he couldn't comfort her because she needed to realize what she did was that dangerous.

"I need to find a way to clean up your mess without bowing down to a bunch of humans to get what they want," Hades went to the desk in the room, "You're banished to your room until this is over."

Melinoë looked up, panic in her face, "Papa."

"Hades," Persephone said sharply.

And it hurt him to have to do this, he didn't want to. He wanted to see her, he wanted to show her where she was wrong but he was too angry to be rational. And he didn't want her acting recklessly. He didn't want to bury another child.

"If she's going to act like a child, she's going to be treated like a child. You may eat with the family, you have a balcony where you may sit outside. I'll have books sent to you if you like but you are not allowed to leave your room. And when this is over, you and I are going to have a long talk until you understand."

She looked up, he saw the tears pouring down her face, "But papa-." 

"Go," he couldn't look at her as he sat down.

He had to figure out what to do.

Melinoë took a step forward and looked at her mother. When she saw she'd get no help on her side, she wiped the tears away and went to leave the bedroom.

Hades put his head in his hands.

"You were harsh on her," Persephone said.

"I had to be," He looked at his wife, "We would have had time to figure out what we were going to do if she hadn't…if she hadn't brought them here. At the very least, she should have come to us if she wanted to do something this big."

"I didn't say it wasn't needed," Persephone whispered, "I just worried what you were going to do."

"I would never lay hands on any of them, you know that."

They sat in silence.

"Maybe we made a mistake…," Persephone whispered, "IN letting their little revenge plan go on this long."

Hades knew it was going to be a mistake as soon as his children came up with it. But they were old enough to be independent and make their own decisions, so he had let them avenge their mother.

And now look where they were.

He went for his wife's hand. She reached out and took it.

"We have to find a way out of this without looking weak," he told her, "And I don't know how we're going to do that."

Because if he gave them what they wanted, or they left the underworld unhurt, he was opening up the possibility to letting more people find out how to kill gods and terrify his family, that could not happen.

"I'll call for some wine," Persephone went to the door, "I have a feeling we'll be talking all night."

000000000000000000000000

When Emma first started to wake up, she enjoyed the good exhausted sore feeling that was still set in her body. Her mind was still a thousand miles away, she had had a nightmare but it had faded to the back of her memories for now. She still had a few minutes to doze, it wouldn't be long before she had to get up and feed the baby and Henry. Then they'd go through her day.

Then she remembered where she was, and what happened to get them to this point. Her eyes shot open and she looked around the still unfamiliar room.

There was a tired moan next to her, she looked over to see Neal dig his head under the pillow, "It's too early to be shooting out of bed like that."

Her boyfriend, who she had sex with for the first time since the Mr. Dark problem…

They had taken the next step, they had gone there again. Emma had expected to feel resistance, or doubt or any of the number of things that came with the other relationships she had but it didn't happen now. For a brief period, as far as this went, she was happy.

And frankly, she didn't know what to do with that and THAT scared her; the other shoe was bound to drop eventually.

"You always did like to sleep late."

"I never get to anymore, something's always happening above world." He stretched and then flopped facedown back on the bed

Emma propped herself up on her elbow, "Like the Lost Boys setting a fire in the common room to dance around the chaos?" 

"Or the baby crying," Neal's arm snaked around Emma's waist and pulled her closer to him.

"Well she does favor you."

"Not when it's feeding time," Neal muttered with his face buried in Emma's pillow.

Emma smiled a bit and then frowned when she thought about how normal this all was and how they could have had this so many years ago with Henry if other decisions had been made.

He frowned and opened his eyes, studying Emma, obviously thinking the same thing, "We should get out of bed."

"Real life happens when we get out of bed."

"We have to save her, we have to plan"

"We have to wait to get information, my dad has to see if he can locate her in that asylum today while he's with Persephone" Emma buried her face in Neal's shoulder, "And we can do that right here, where it's just us and it's perfect and quiet."

They lay there in silence for a bit before Neal spoke up, "I bet the Lost Boys have tied up the administration and are roasting them over the spit right now."

"THERE'S an image," Emma hit him with a pillow.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

When Rumple woke up, he felt like he hadn't slept at all. The bed was strange, the room was claustrophobic and he knew that subconsciously this wasn't his house, this was the Underworld version of his house and his enemy's brother and former sheriff had his and Belle's real room.

Above world, He used this room for a storage closet.

He groaned when he saw the sun coming through the dirty window and turned to hold his wife, he wasn't ready to get up yet, hopefully she wasn't either.

He found an empty side of the bed.

He opened his eyes and sat up with a start, he looked around for Belle, only to find her leafing through what looked like three telephone books combined, "Belle, please…it's too early."

"I haven't slept all night," Belle scanned the pages

He sat up, "What are you doing, sweetheart?"

"Do you know how many Colettes there are? Thousands. It's a popular name in like…twenty six worlds. "

He stopped. He knew the name, it was the name of her mother that was taken from her shortly before he named her as a price to stop the monsters that had brutally killed her. It wasn't one of his more prouder moments, "Belle…that's…that's…you don't know she's in this place, she could have moved on."

"I have to know," Belle crawled over to him dragging the large book with her, "Look it has the names and the dates they were born in our world and the date they died and what world they're from. It has everything."

"Alright."

"But the print is so tiny, and it keeps growing as more and more people come. I keep losing my place."

He kissed her temple, "We don't know where any of these areas are."

'But you know some of them, you were here before."

"I went two places. This district and the palace of Hades and Persephone when they would have me. I didn't have anything else. I was planning to keep my head down and wait for you…or somehow earn my redemption and pass on to see you in Elysium."

Belle's excited glint dimmed, "Why don't you want me to see my mother?"

He felt his heart tighten, "It's not that."

"Then what is?"

He was trying to get them in, get Mina out of the asylum and hidden before they all were here permanently, "Hades tried to grind our organs last night. Our hosts are already in danger of his wrath. If we're not careful, it could affect a whole lot more. I don't' want the ripples we're creating to spread to your mother."

And that was the truth, but it was only part of it. He just didn't want their presence to end up being full of distractions. They were here for one thing; his granddaughter. The rest they could do later when they were all dead and hopefully not shut in a cell like she was.

On the other hand, there was no chance of escaping _that_ fate, so what would it hurt for her to see her mother and get to say goodbye?

And she was his wife, he couldn't refuse her this.

"Alright," he took the book, "Lets narrow it down then, shall we? And go from there."

He started down the list, trying to squint and separate the names when the door opened and Graham came in, "There's a huge problem."

"Knock!" Belle pulled the covers over her slip.

Graham didn't seem to hear her, "The mirror's been shattered.."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that the last person to use it was Emma and when she came to get it and check in on Henry, it was in shards. And no one else is coping to it.."

"Well, I haven't touched it, dearie," Rumple said a bit nasally for old time's sake, "There's no one there for me."

Graham's eyes just narrowed, "Well it didn't just break itself."

Rumple threw back the covers, "No one touched it?"

"That's what they said."

"Yes, well you're forgetting that we aren't the only ones in the house."

000000000000000000000000000000000

 **Centuries Ago**

When Milah was born, she was stuck with the very unfortunate fate of being born the fourth in a line of 7 daughters. With three stillborn brothers and two that died shortly after birth, she was the middle child of a surviving gender that her father saw more as 7 mouths to feed than much of anything else. They were always on the verge of starving to death and had no dowries to speak of that might make them seem as anything more than just a burden for an equally poor husband.

She wasn't the oldest, or the prettiest. She wasn't the spare daughter, she wasn't even the spare spare. She was stuck in the middle of 7 with no hope of ever having a better chance of being an equally poor starving farmer's wife.

So, with no son to teach, it became Milah and her fifth sister Renata that were selected to learn. While their sisters got jobs as tailors and servants, it was Milah and Ranata that were toiling in the fields with trousers under their dresses trying to maneuver plows and hoes that were too big for them.

Though she didn't learn things like sewing or knitting, she sat with her father at lunchtime and learned what a strong man was supposed to be. They worked, they provided, they did whatever was necessary to keep a roof over their family's head, and food in their bellies. They sunk to whatever they had to to make sure that the family stayed intact and alive. Anything else was less than and weak.

As Milah grew, the days in the field were a way out of a small crowded household. Eventually, the hoe didn't cause her back to ache, the plow wasn't so heavy. The rows straightened, the field was better maintained.

And Milah grew stronger.

00000000000000000000000000

 **Present Day**

Milah had spent all her life packed on a small mattress with siblings, husbands, and lovers that when she ended up in the underworld, having a bed big enough for two people that she could have just to herself made her feel like she was some sort of royal or noblewoman. Then she found out that this was a regular bed for other worlds but it never stopped being fascinating for her that she had all this space AND a room to herself.

So, when she heard a knock on her door and the door open, she groaned and moved to the empty space in the bed like she could somehow spread across the whole bed hand not let anyone on it.

"Milah?" she heard Killian's familiar voice, "Are you awake?"

"No"

She heard him trot into the room anyway and flop on the empty part of the bed with a familiarity only he could have.

She groaned louder but he didn't get the hint .

"I found something on this metal ear talk thing," he nudged her, "Look at this."

Milah opened one eye and watched as he moved the back to face him and lit up with a smile. Milah heard a click and he turned the device to show her a strange color magic drawing of himself on the device.

Milah lifted her head slightly, "What on earth?"

"It's called a CAM-UR-AH" he said a bit too loudly but seemed satisfied with the pronunciation, "I can take GAL-LUR-RIES of myself and send it up to my daughter. So she can know what me and her mum look like when we rescue said mum."

Milah saw several small squares on the device with a small version of Killian on all of them, "how many of those did you take?"

"I don't want her to forget," he pressed a few more buttons, "And there's this thing called VIDEEEEEO that I can record myself on. She'll know what I sound like too. I can give her advice."

Milah yawned, "That's wonderful, Killian."

She wrapped her arms around both of his and buried her face in his shoulder.

"I have so much to tell her."

"I know the feeling," Milah rested her chin on his shoulder, "Bae and I bonded last night. He showed me how happy he was."

Killian smiled, "that's fantastic, love."

She smiled as he kissed her forehead and opened her eyes to look at him, "Did you make it right with your brother?"

He frowned then, and rolled on his back, "Look how fantastic this machine is."

"Killian."

"I hit record and I can tell her anything I want for as long as I want."

There was a knock at the door, the door opened and Liam stuck his head in, "We have a problem."

Killian stubbornly stared at the ceiling and ignored his brother. Milah sighed and looked up, "What is it?"

"The mirror's shattered. Everything thinks James somehow did it."

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James had been stuck in the basement for what felt like days. He couldn't see outside, they kept the windows covered so that he couldn't alert anyone. The clock that was stashed down here was broken ages ago, and so other than mealtimes, he was never quite sure what part of the day it was.

Until they came down here with their disoriented faces and bleary accusations.

"What, you think I got out, broke a mirror that I somehow knew that you were communicating with the Overworld with and then came back down here to shackle myself up? Are you insane?"

The blonde one; his niece, stood there with her arms crossed, "No one else would break the mirror."

"If I wanted to, I'd use it to talk to my father again, I certainly wouldn't break it and I certainly wouldn't stay here while my _brother steals my life."_

"The irony of anyone stealing your life after you're dead," Rumpelstiltskin examined his nails, "And doing it twice."

He snarled, "I've built this for myself. I haven't had any titles or riches, I only had the job I was given and I made something of it and you all come in here to try and steal it away from me again."

"We're not here to steal anything, we're just borrowing it."

"Do you know how much trouble you're all in?" James glared at Liam, Killian, and Graham, "You're done when I get out of here, all of you are going to wish for that asylum when I catch up to you."

"We could just put him in a coffin and throw it in the ocean," Killian mused.

"We're not doing that," Emma snapped.

"You all will be gone when we get Mina, you won't know what happens to him after this," Killian grumbled and glared at the sheriff, "I never did like you."

"Enough!" Emma held out her hand, "We're not hurting anyone."

"It's inadvisable that you bring harm to me, I'm valuable, which is why I wouldn't stay for any sort of spy mission. Why would I? We all know why you're here and they all know you and your type. They've seen it before. They'd probably dealt with it before. You're not the first living that came down here and if you do leave, you will never be the same. I know that, so why would I bother?"

"Then who broke my mirror?" Emma asked.

"My guess is one of the gods got in." James leaned back against the wall he was chained to, "Broke it while everyone was asleep."

He said it casually and he didn't expect them to visibly look afraid like they all did. They all took a step back and looked at each other. If they weren't alerted that a powerful god was able to come and go as they pleased while everyone slept, what chance did they have?

Emma lowered her arms, "If you're lying. We've protected the area"

"Why would I lie?" James smirked, "David can't keep up the act forever and when they find out he's been near their children well…I highly doubt any of you are walking out alive."

Their worried faces were exactly what he needed as he leaned back and assessed the damage he just caused.

"Now what about breakfast?"

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

There were just a few too many people crowding the basement and so Milah hung back and made herself a bowl of cereal and waited for them to leave.

She stared at the broken mirror that was put on the table. Magical mirrors and phones that were machines and not magic? IN her day, they would have killed to have something like that to communicate. She might have even seen her sisters again. Milah didn't see herself as wanting one though, who did she have to talk to when she was on land?

She could have talked to Baelfire.

Milah clenched her fists. Killian telling Rumple she would be used and killed hadn't been her idea, it was his need to humiliate and challenge Rumpel to show he was the alpha male. Milah hadn't forgiven him for that choice and it was what came up in arguments that they had. She still loved Killian with everything but when he did that…. It ended up cutting her off from her son.

Her hand went to the directory that the new wife had been looking through since she got here. There was a torn piece of paper marking the place that Milah knew wasn't there before. Curiosity got the better of her and she opened the book to find a name circled.

Interesting, who was Colette?

"Yes?"

Milah looked up to see the new wife standing awkwardly staring at her as she looked through her own book, "Looking for someone?"

"Yes, my mother," Belle looked over her shoulder, "I was hoping maybe we could see her but I don't think that's going to happen today "

Not paying attention to the needs of his wife, that sounded like her ex.

"Where is it?"

"The Redstock district."

Milah put the book down, "I know where that is."

"But it isn't safe."

"Why not?" Milah asked, she wanted a way out of the house, the walls were closing in with this many people. If this got Belle out, fine, at least Milah could assess what sort of woman would marry Rumple, "He knows you're here, he can destroy us at any time, he just doesn't want to."

"Unless we're all separated."

"Even if you're all together," Milah went to grab her coat, "Might want to write a note. If he finds you're gone with me, he might rip my heart out again."

Belle cringed, "Please don't."

Milah stopped, "So you did know what he did to me."

"Yes," she said with some hesitation, "He told me."

"And you were already married?"

Belle was quiet and that was her answer. She had known before.

"Well then," Milah said with no humor in her voice, "This will be for a very illuminating day."

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Unmoving for several hours, Mina lay numbly chained to her bed in the infirmary wing of the asylum. The chain around her ankle had cut through the skin hours ago, the pain burned but she ignored it. She was hurting worse everywhere else.

To be attacked by the minotaur was agonizing. To have her body magically heal from it was unbearable. She hadn't slept all night, she hadn't moved from where they'd put her after they took her to the lavatory. The guards were watching her, she couldn't cry as she lay there feeling her bones snapping into place.

The sun rose, they brought her a cold breakfast which she ignored. She wasn't hungry. One lost their appetite when they felt their ribs moving under their skin mere half an hour ago.

She was healing. They were going to take her to her cell by the end of the day at most. She had little time to figure out an escape plan. With being out of her cell, and the minotaur also healing, this was her only chance to get away.

She just needed her leg to mend itself so she could walk and thus far it was showing no promise.

So instead she lay there thinking about her friends that had come down here. She replayed the words Dracula told her over and over about how they'd never truly accept her if she had outlived him. Surely this meant that she had made true friends with him, right? It wouldn't be just obligation to keep her around after she'd helped save them.

And then she thought about her mother. Her mother would be grieving now that she knew she lost Mina. But she had Lizzie with her, so that was a piece of Mina. At least she knew what had happened now. At least she had that.

If Mina had gone home eventually like she'd wanted to, this never would have happened.

Damn pride.

She choked back tears. Her mother would be devastated. When her father disappeared, Mina heard one of her uncles say that the only reason her mother got out of bed every day was because of her. Would it be the same for the baby or was it all going to be too much?

A tear slipped down her face but the guards had turned to address someone coming in the infirmary. Mina had time to wipe it away before Jekyll came in.

"Ah Ms. Harker," he had a book in his hand that Mina supposed was only there to make him look more nebbish, "I hear you didn't rip out anyone's throat overnight, I suppose that's some improvement to your overall behavior in the last 24 hours."

"Come closer, we'll see if I can keep the record," she hissed.

"Actually, we need your help today, I'm only down here to ensure your safe transport."

"I'm not helping you with anything."

"It's not voluntary."

"I continue to respectfully refuse."

He gave her a condescending smile and went to open the door. Mina watched as several guards came in with guns trained on her.

"What is this?" she asked.

"Like I said," he told her, "It's not voluntary."

Mina felt the chain on her ankle fall away. She drew back and kicked the agent in his face. She felt several hands grab her and fought as they lifted her up into a gurney to be transported somewhere. She thrashed and kicked with her good foot. Her leg caught one gun and sent it sliding across the floor and under a table whose bottom was so close to the floor that it'd be impossible to get it now with their big bulky hands.

She was slammed painfully onto the gurney; her arms and legs were put in restraints. The loss of control made her only panic more. The brought in more binds in response. Her legs, chest, and head were all bound to the cot she was laying on and it was then that she finally stopped fighting.

Jekyll came forward and rested a hand on her hair, "He enjoys this, you know. This fight. I, however, take no pleasure from any of it."

"Liar," Mina hissed as the bindings kept her staring at the ceiling.

"You could have done this voluntarily, it would've been a lot less painful for everyone involved but you always seem to want to take the hard route."

"You sound like my mother when I was being punished."

"I do wonder if Hades and Persephone will let me study your brain when we're done with you," he mused, "Surely there's some deformity we can find that would explain why you react the way you do."

Mina tried not to shiver. She understood the implication of what he was hoping for. It was one thing to study a person's brain when they were dead, but when they were already dead and couldn't die again….

"Put her to sleep," Jekyll told a nurse, "I don't want her to know how to maneuver her way through this asylum.

"I liked you better when you had to hide the monster within you," Mina spat.

"And I liked you better when you didn't cause trouble for me, so we're both disappointed," he looked to the nurse, "Put her to sleep. _Now."_

Mina could only move her eyes as they followed the nurse to the medical supply closet. She caught a glimpse of an oxygen tank and a window that was submerged underwater.

And to keep herself calm, she started to form a plan.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Charming regretted this little twin switch with every passing moment. He had to sit in his brother's house all day with no communication from his family and no way to reach his wife. They were cut off, they had to be. Once Emma got it through the mirror that the house was being watched, he had to lay low. He had to keep the cover now that the rest of them were blown.

And that meant cut off communication. For all he knew, they knew about him too. His family could be captured, or hurt. And unless the gods let him know, he had no way of reaching out without risking exposing himself too.

So, he lay on the couch in his brother's living room and fell asleep in the early hours. When he woke up to someone knocking, he found his back and neck were stiff. Like the furniture in his brother's room at the castle, most of everything here was for more of show than comfort. The first thing he'd done when he took back the kingdom was burn everything in the room and replace it with more comfortable simple decorations.

He might do the same here.

No, that was petty. He was risking enough without resorting to childish tactics.

The knock was more frantic. When he realized, it might be Emma, he strapped the holster on and came for the door. He yanked it open only to find...Hades and Persephone's daughter. The one that had actually stolen James's heart and framed Cora.

"Melinoë?" he asked and tried to remember if they had an appointment. He had been uncomfortable in dealing with her, mostly because he didn't know what her and his brother's relationship actually _was._

She looked up. Her eyes were completely bloodshot. Her face was puffy and splotchy from crying, "They found out. They found out I was the one that sent the dreams."

She sent the dreams too?!

He blinked, stunned at the confession. He should be angry, he should pull away and leave her out here. It was too much and it was what James might do. But she just looked so upset and confused that he just pulled her closer in an embrace.

"Papa won't love me anymore," she sobbed.

"I'm sure that's not true," he said awkwardly. He didn't actually KNOW the relationship between father and daughter but when he'd been in the house he could see various signs of the children occupying the house and Hades SEEMED like he loved his children. He was trying to comfort this girl, taking a shot in the dark, and hoping for the best.

"You don't understand," she pulled away and wiped at her eyes, "I've never seen him that angry before. And I told him I knew I wasn't really his daughter. He knows and I know, he doesn't have to pretend anymore."

"That's not how fatherhood works," David said and tried to slip into his James persona…though any thought of his brother trying to give good advice was terrifying at best, "My father chose to adopt me and he loved me. Your father will feel the same for you."

"Your father replaced you when you died," she reminded the man.

Yeah, he was there, "And Geor- my father regretted it as soon as it happened, I hear. He never really replaced me because I was still his son. Your dad is mad at you, dads all get mad at their kids. But he loves you enough to adopt you and raise you as his own, he'll forgive you."

Melinoë wrapped her arms around herself, "He'll find out I took your heart to make you mayor and get access to the island. He'll find out I went into their hideout while they slept and smashed the mirror."

His blood ran cold, "What?"

"I have to get the rest of them here," she sobbed, "I can't do that if they can still talk back and forth."

He went forward and grabbed her shoulders, panic was rising in his chest. If they had no way to communicate, Regina and Snow might come down here. They wouldn't know what they were getting into, "Melinoë, what did you do?"

"What I have to!" she sobbed, "To make sure my family's safe! My parents power is bound to the underworld. They're not as powerful above world, but I am thanks to the gift Zeus gave me when I was born and I can do something!"

He was about to stutter…something, he didn't know what, but he was thankfully cut off when a police car pulled up to the yard. He expected to see Graham or Killian driving. He stopped however, when he saw Persephone get out of the passenger seat. The driver door opened...and Pan came out

But not Pan the child. Pan the adult, the man they all only got a glimpse of before Rumple sacrificed himself and killed both him and his father to ensure everyone's safety.

"What's _that_ ," Charming demanded and pointed to Man Pan, shaking with rage.

"What are you doing here?" Persephone demanded of her daughter, "You're supposed to be in your room."

"I'm sorry, mama," Melinoë whispered and looked down.

"You're sorry?!" Persephone hissed, "You're already in enough trouble and we confined you to your room and you immediately leave it?!"

"I needed someone to talk to! Someone that understands." 

"Really, and what does Mayor James understand that we can't?" Persephone glared at him.

Charming's eyes were glued to Pan, "What's HE doing here?"

"Oh, his name is _Malcom,"_ Persephone said offhandedly, thankfully not catching the blunder he realized he made over recognizing Pan. She was too busy furious at her own daughter for apparently sneaking out, "He's an enemy of our visitors."

"Where's Graham and Killian?!" 

"They're harboring our visitors. They didn't dare come into work today." She turned to Melinoë, "You know, your father and I are against locking you in your room. We couldn't, we thought that would overstep. Though, apparently since you're still disobeying us and running around with this plan of yours, endangering your own life, we should."

Charming stepped in, "I do think that's overstepping."

"This mess started with the death of your baby brother, I lost two more children because of this insane plot you all formed. I WILL NOT BURY YOU TOO!" Persephone screamed and waved her hand, "GO HOME"

Charming was taken aback by the hurt and the vitriol that came out of her mouth. He loathed Dark and Dracula for what they did to his family and so many other innocent people but he forgot that he was standing here next to a grieving mother who saw them in an entirely different way. They weren't monsters to her. He knew that deep ta since he got here. But his priority had always been seeing them as monsters to protect his family; staring at her trying to protect her daughter without hurting her, he really wished they could come to some sort of understand. He didn't want anyone in this to be the villain.

Persephone turned, "It's time to take Cora to the asylum."

"Yes, my lady," he went to put his hand on her elbow and assist her.

She pulled away, "Don't."

"Of course," he glared at Cora and Pan sitting in the car, "Is it wise to have someone I don't know taking care of my old job?"

"He ran a magical island, he can run a district," Persephone decided, "Besides, he's Rumpelstiltskin's father. I don't think you have to imagine the blow that will be when he realizes who is in charge of driving them out now."

Charming shivered, he had to alert them somehow, this wasn't good. He was supposed to have an ally on the island with him when he found Mina. It would make their chances of escaping easier.

Instead he had more enemies in the car with him.

"I know what you're thinking," Persephone said, "Cora's mother, Rumple's mother, and Melinoë's mother all in the car, what a _fun_ time for you." 

It was everything he had to put one foot in front of the other as he went to sit beside Cora. Cora looked over and took him in. He returned the gaze. She looked older, more haggard, he saw the exhaustion in her voice "You're not James."

"What?" he let the annoyance show through his voice. This was a bad idea. This was going to blow up in his face. He had to get away.

"You're not James, I worked with him daily, you're not him," Cora turned, "It's not him, your majesty, it's Charm-."

Persephone held a hand up. Cora's words became muffled as suddenly her mouth was gone.

"Please drive, Malcom, I already have a terrible headache," Persephone whispered.

Charming looked for a way out, he had to get away without ending up captured. They were going to blow his cover!

He heard the door lock and looked up. He saw Malcom glaring at him from the rearview mirror.

Persephone may not believe he was an imposter, but Malcom did.

And he just locked him in.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

 **Centuries Ago**

When Milah turned sixteen, it came time for her father to find her a husband. It was a task easier said than done. Most of the boys wanted a dowry that they did not have for the middle daughter. Her oldest sister barely had enough to maintain any sort of household. She was given to an aging butcher two towns over as his second wife. More like Coraline was his mistress, but his even older wife was senile and needed someone to take care of her. When the old woman would eventually die, her sister would be his official wife.

Her other two older sisters had been married to soldiers. One was a recruiter looking for men in the town who wanted to volunteer their services to a war that didn't even concern them, the other sister was just given to a foot soldier they opened their home to for a small fee.

The family had nothing more to offer. So, while she and her sisters worked in the field, her father took some pelts to the next town over to sell and look for someone that might marry her.

When he came back in the evening, he brought with him a lithe shy boy who was too skinny for his clothes and whose eyes were too big for his head. He was handsome enough with a washed face, and he didn't seem to be the type that would beat her. It was as good a match as any, she supposed. He was abandoned by his coward father to some spinsters who were nice enough to take him in. But they were getting on in years and thought it was high time for him to find a wife. No one in his village wanted a poor coward's son. Soldiers were in much higher demand. Marriages usually didn't last long before widowhood happened and the women were given a slightly higher status as a war widow…which made their marriage prospects even better.

But she didn't want a soldier, and her father saw fit to at least give ONE of his daughters a husband that would live longer than five years. Milah was kept away from him until her father brought in an elderly knight who gave them the marriage vows and that was that. She was a married woman now. Marriage between royalty was a celebrated affair, she'd heard. Here, in a small village, it was just…something that happened. They got a bit more stew that night in their food and her sisters were cleared out of their bedroom and put in the barn to sleep in. That was as far as the marriage celebration went.

By the time they were finally alone, they sat on the bed in silence with only a candle to illuminate them. He fiddled with his nightshirt, she kept her knees to her chest as the silence stretched out.

Neither was in a hurry to do what marriage came with.

"You can call me Rumple if you like," he offered.

"Alright," she whispered and stared down at the worn cotton gown she had on.

"I'll be a good husband," he promised, "I don't drink, I won't hit you, and I can make you new clothes. I'm not rich but I'm not starving either. I get work."

"Oh," she twisted the gown, "What if there are babies?"

He turned, looking in her blue eyes with his brown ones earnestly, "I won't hurt them either."

And that's all Milah needed to know. Because her father had taught her that a man took what he wanted and he did what was required to keep his children alive and fed. Milah wasn't much looking forward to the former in an ideal husband, but it looked like she got lucky. And with that, she trusted him enough to finally uncurl herself and move on the bed, "We should probably get this done. We have a long journey tomorrow."

He hesitated, 'I heard it hurts women."

Milah rolled on her back, "My mother told me it hurts at first, but one gets used to it."

Milah didn't tell him her mother said it in a way that made _relations_ sound entirely unimpressive. Men didn't like to hear that.

It took him a few moments to get the courage to come to join her on the bed. He was clumsy, and awkward. And it hurt, but Milah took comfort in the idea that she was his first and he was hers. It was the most romantic notion she'd been able to have about the husband she'd known for less than twelve hours.

His promise not to beat her came a close second

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

 **Present Day**

Milah was at a loss, the woman beside her in the car used large words, she could read, she seemed intelligent, so why on earth would she end up marrying the man that murdered his first wife? It made no sense, and not even the most desperate women Milah had ever seen in her life were that depraved unless a LOT of money was involved.

"Do you just ignore it, then?" Milah asked after an hour out. She couldn't take it anymore, she just had to know.

"No, I don't ignore it," Belle said and Milah was grateful that she didn't have to remind Belle that Rumple had murdered her in cold blood again.

"He ripped my heart out, you know"

"I know."

"He stood over me and Killian and crushed it into dust."

"I know that too."

"So, then I'm baffled at why you'd allow yourself to be married to a man that would willingly do that?"

"I don't know, why would you let yourself be with a man that bragged about using and killing you if Rumple didn't fight for you?" Belle looked over.

Milah raised an eyebrow, "He was testing his character."

"You and I both know better than that." Belle shifted, "He was declaring his dominance."

"And Rumple returned the favor, only that time, I actually died."

They sat in silence before Belle spoke again, "He regrets it."

"Did he tell you that?": 

"Yes.'

Milah didn't believe it, not for a minute, "There's plenty of people he sent down here that will tell you he didn't regret what he did at all."

"It's different, there's that thing inside of him now."

"Well you and I both know better than _that,"_ Milah repeated her words, "You know, I begged him to leave. I begged him to start over somewhere where we didn't have to be the cowards. He was good at his job, he put adequate money on the table but he wouldn't do it. He stood by while our son went hungry and I was abused. I went to the tavern out of desperation to get away and forget and you know what he did? Nothing. So, I got away, and he did nothing to stop that. Our son fell down a portal…and he did nothing. He only started doing something when my life ended. I would be worried if my husband's first attempt at doing something was to kill his first wife but that's just me."

"Would you?" Belle asked with a raised eyebrow, "You didn't seem bothered by the lives your pirate boyfriend ruined while he was sailing around pillaging. You walked right onto his ship with him. Who knows how many people he killed, do you know? Do you know he tried to kill me to avenge you?"

Milah was silent. She hadn't loved Killian at first, she had just wanted a fantasy; a way out, but as he talked, and as he paid attention to just her….he didn't look at her like the others did. He didn't see the cowardly legacy she was part of, he just saw her and she realized she didn't have to stay there.

"Killian's much different than what you probably would see," Milah told her.

"And so is Rumple," Belle told her, "He regrets what he did, he was ashamed of it."

"That doesn't bring me back to life."

"I know," Belle admitted quietly.

"And it doesn't get me the years back I lost with my son."

Belle looked out the window, her voice was softer, "Well I suppose that's partially your fault too."

Milah should've thrown her out right there, she should've turned around and taken them back home because she was a victim. She shouldn't be talked to in such a way.

But Milah also knew she couldn't hold Belle accountable for things that she had told herself for centuries.

They settled back into silence and Milah found she preferred that more.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Killian stayed in his room most of the morning to avoid his brother. He spent the time alternating between going over maps and giving lifelong advice to his little girl. Lizzie would need it, the world was crazy up there and every time he thought he exhausted all conversation topics, he thought of something else.

Emma came to knock on the door slightly before noon and he went downstairs to see everyone gathered around except for Belle and Milah.

"Where are the ladies?" he asked Graham.

"They decided to take a road trip."

"Now?!"

"Belle's looking for her mother," Graham sighed and looked around, "No one's happy about it but they snuck out while we were busy with James."

He raised an eyebrow, Most tense carried ever. Would both survive?"

Graham turned back to Emma, "How did Belle escape Regina? She used to be her prisoner."

"I don't know," Killian muttered and preferred not to remember that time they'd met in the tallest tower.

When Emma opened the map that showed the island, he REALLY wished he could focus on his daughter instead of the plan or his attempts to kill Belle.

"Dad's going with Persephone and Cora today and he's going to see if he can locate Mina. Once he does, he'll work on getting her out. He'll either get her out then or come back with a memorized layout of the asylum so that we all can go. Once that happens, we have only a limited time to get off the island."

And Killian knew what that meant.

"Isn't there any sort of magic we can use?" he asked.

"That asylum holds some of the worst people that Hades prefers not to have in the pit without torturing them first; god killers, and the Titans. It's heavily fortified by magic. Magic older than anything I've seen or could possibly hope to understand," Rumple put his finger on the drawing to emphasize his point, "We need a fast ship."

"We need the pirates," Emma said with her shoulders slumped, "They have some of the fastest ships in the underworld."

Killian refused to look up because he knew Bae was looking at him. He had spilled what had happened to him all those years ago when he was a slave and the idea of Bae saying what happened now would be utterly humiliating.

"Perhaps there's another way," Bae finally said.

"No," Killian said weakly. He didn't pretend to completely know Mina, and he didn't profess to love her. He was fond of her, he cared about her as a person. They'd had an adventure together. But, she was the mother of his daughter. Whatever she thought of him, she at least thought well enough to bring a baby that was half his into the world. It was like…it was like choosing _him_ in a roundabout way and so he felt he owed her this. She saved countless people, she saved his friends, she saved their daughter. She deserved to be safe and happy.

"Are you sure?" Liam asked.

Killian ignored him, he didn't owe his brother anything yet. His brother didn't get an easy pass for volunteering him without his consent, "I can listen to my father."

Emma watched him sympathetically. She opened her mouth to say something but stopped, "We need a place to stash all of you when this is done. You can't go back to work now that you know Hades is watching us."

"There's some farm land here," Rumple put his finger on a hidden area a few miles away, "We can take you there. Magic up a house and some farm animals. Cloak it so all they see is an empty field."

"It might not work," Emma said.

"What choice do we have?" Rumple sighed, "We don't. This is it, we have to put you all under cover in a place-."

"Where we can't leave," Graham said bluntly, "A cage."

"It's just until your business is finished."

"So, until Regina's dead then?" he hissed.

Emma flinched, "Well, good talk. Rumple I think you should look at that field and get the cloaking spell ready."

"I have a couple of hexes I'm working on. I'ts old. It's the sort of magic the gods are using so it's complicated. If I can get an understanding of it in time, this plan might work."

"Good, the rest of us will start getting everything packed."

"I'll get in contact with my father," Liam stood.

"Yeah," Killian turned to go back to his room, "Tell him we all say hi."

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

The boat ride to the island was quiet and thankfully Charming didn't have to resort to pushing Malcom off the boat to keep him quiet. But he knew, and he knew Charming knew that he knew. They were in a game now, and one misstep could mean that he was the next resident of this place.

They had to get Mina out, he had to do it somehow today.

"Pirates on the port side," Malcom said.

"Leave them be," Persephone told them.

"My lady, we must get you to safety," Malcom said.

"Why, do pirates _scare_ you?" Charming mocked, which earned a glare from Malcom.

"I'm not afraid of anyone," Malcom crossed his arms, "It's _charming_ how you were so close with one."

"I'd think you were scared of pirates since all you did was take children," Charming did his best James smirk, "Took any ones you could but your own son. Even your grandson and great grandson were better substitutes."

"And how would a prince who died before I died know that?"

"I was the sheriff, and you were in my district. What, you thought I didn't know about Neverland? Everyone know about Neverland!"

Charming knew his voice was coming out James but he wanted nothing more than to haul over the side of the boat and throw up at the things he was saying. He didn't enjoy having to remind anyone that they kidnapped other children, abandoned their own, and tormented the rest of their family.

"Silence, both of you," Persephone snapped, "The pirates are at a manageable distance. They know better than to annoy me, they're probably just curious. They've been trying to get into the asylum for ages. It's the one place they can't plunder, it's like a treasure they all want."

And Charming was about to be trapped in there.

They docked the boat. Charming helped both Cora and Persephone out. When Malcom tried to climb on too, Charming pushed him back, "No, you're the sheriff, this is above your paygrade."

"Then why am I here?" he demanded.

"Cora was your responsibility until she got on the pier, now she's here and you can stay there," Charming turned, "I didn't get to come here when I was sheriff and neither do you."

They escorted Cora up the stairs that led to the building. They met a man there dressed in a Victorian suit and glasses.

"Jekyll," Persephone greeted.

He bowed, "My lady."

"I'm sure you can find a home for this one," Persephone nodded to Cora.

"Always," he nodded to two men dressed like orderlies who shoved the bag over Cora's head, lifted her up and put her on the gurney, "My lady, if I may ask…where's her mouth?"

"She'll have it back later," Persephone watched them wheel her away, "Now that that business is settled, take me to the bitch."

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Charming didn't know what he had expected when they took them down the elevator and through the maze, but he didn't expect this. He thought maybe they'd be torturing her with a rack or an iron maiden but this was different.

Mina lay on a slab that resembled something one might find in a morgue. Her scrub bottoms and white shirt was dripping with sweat. Her body convulsed every few seconds in a terrifying rhythm that obviously wasn't under her control. Her eyes stared up at the celling, vacant. Her mouth hung slightly open.

At her head was something resembling a human, but it was too tall and too thin to be healthy. Its fingers were like suction cups against her head. He wanted to yank it off, he wanted to shoot it to get it away from her.

"What is this thing?" Persephone asked.

"I don't know, it won't tell me. It came to us about 200 years ago from a tiny world that I can't remember the name of. We've only ever had five but most of them move on. It'll review her memories, it'll come through them for something useful and it'll tell us everything we need to know about our visitors. We'll know their strengths, fighting styles, history that not even gods would know about and their weaknesses."

"She can't possibly know all that."

"Of course she does," Jekyll scoffed, "She's a hunter and the visitors have the Dark One and the Evil Queen in their ranks. She would do her research in case she had to go against one or both. We'll know everything she knows."

"Could we use this against them?" Persephone asked, "Find out everything they know about us and our weaknesses?"

"If we could get them here, yes."

Persephone's satisfied smile really started to creep Charming out.

"Why is she twitching like that?" he finally asked.

"Well the melding if you could call it that wasn't voluntary."

"Who would volunteer for this?" he muttered.

"It's painful for both to meld when the subject is unwilling. It's a slower process, that's why she…. that's why she looks the way she does. Being gored also didn't help."

"How long with this take?"

"It'll go on into the night, I imagine."

Charming needed to act. He could shoot them, that might take them by surprise long enough to get Mina off the bed. But she was dead weight at this point, and the hallway was heavily guarded.

Persephone gave the woman a seething glare, "Take her off, I want to talk to her." 

"I don't think that's wise, we may have to start over. The creature will need it's rest too, remember it's also in pain for having to do this."

"Then put another one on. And if she's hurt, well what do I care?" Persephone demanded, "Take her off, now."

"I'll show you to a meeting room," Jekyll led her away.

Jekyll sighed and gestured. The monster took its hands of either side of Mina's face. Mina's body sagged slightly, he heard a sigh of relief escape her lips. She lay unmoving, but he saw her mouth move slightly, he saw her blink. She wasn't twitching anymore but she was shaking.

He saw the nurse approach with a giant needle, "What's that?"

"Adrenaline," The nurse uncapped it, "To help her become coherent."

Charming could only look away as the nurse jabbed the giant needle into her chest. He heard Mina scream and sit up.

When he looked over to her, she was looking around the room frantically. Her eyes settled on him but he shook his head slightly to keep her from talking. He saw her hesitate, but she gave a slight nod back, "What's happening?"

"You're to be interrogated by Persephone."

"Two gods in two days," she said weakly, "what a treat. Will this be a theme with all the gods?"

"Let's hope Zeus doesn't visit you," He took a step to lift her up but was pushed back by the asylum security, "I don't think Poseidon's fares any better."

She looked at him as they tied her down, "What were they doing to me?"

"Sifting through your memories about your friends," the nurse told her.

He saw the fear in her eyes, "Did they find anything?":

"For your sake, I hope so," he pretended to adjust a restraint after the fact and took her hand for a second, "You'll live through this."

Mina gave another small nod, "How unfortunate for me."

"Take her to interrogation," Charming stepped back.

He looked around frantically for a way to get her out.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

The adrenaline woke Mina up, it gave her energy but she was shaking from pain. The…bonding experience from that thing or whatever it was had put her in agony, but she had found she could not move and she could not scream. If that wasn't bad enough, she had to watch her own memories flash before her. It had started small, quick flashes from when she was younger but when it focused on her father or Dracula, then the thing took it's time. She had tried to resist though it only led to more pain. Then it was done, and she was here in a room with Charming on the other side of the door doing god knows what.

They had only stopped once to put her in a communal shower. Under the watch of several armed guards, the nurses stripped her, sprayed her with a hose, and once she was 'clean' they put her in a fresh set of clothes and put in a room with a table and chair. Her hands and feet were tied down. Two guards stood with their guns at the ready.

And finally, Persephone came in. She sat across from Mina. Mina watched her, uncertain. The woman was redheaded and blue eyed. Mina could tell she was trying to hide the emotions on her face but the sheer hatred in her eyes gave enough away for Mina to know that this woman loathed her.

"Do you know who I am?" she asked.

"You're Persephone, queen of the underworld," Mina tried to sit up straighter, "And mother to Dracula."

She bristled, "His name was Ichor."

"I don't know who named him above world then, but that's how I know him."

She didn't look amused, "You killed him."

"I killed myself," Mina told her, "And others killed him, and might I add, in self-defense."

"Do you dare question the gods?"

Mina angrily met her gaze, "My life was ruined by that monster. Do you know what he did to me? What he did to other women? He held us down, he forced us to drink blood. I saw him forcing himself on my best friend before she finally died after months of turning. You shouldn't come in here and act like whatever it was that he did; the murder, and the rape, and the turning, was some sort of...divine insight. He ruined countless lives, he murdered my husband in front of me for no reason."

Persephone almost seemed taken aback by how angry Mina was, "Everyone dies sometime."

Mina glared at her, "I was pregnant."

Then that got Persephone's attention, she looked up, stunned, "With his?"

Mina should lie, she should say it was Dracula's just to get some sort of revenge. It would hurt Persephone just as much as Mina was being hurt but she had to remind herself that both were mothers. Persephone was looking for someone to blame, "With my husband's. It was the last thing I had of him and it was too much and I lost the baby."

Persephone's hand almost went to her own belly but she stopped and lowered it, "You went into hunting then."

"Of course I did, I tried being normal but it doesn't work when one knows what's truly out there."

"You chased after Ichor when he went into Storybrooke."

"And I'd do it again, because it kept them safe," Mina leaned forward, eyes begging her to understand, "To keep my child safe. He killed my father when he came back after my father and Rumple thought they killed him. He came after me and my friend just to spit on my father's memory. We had done nothing to him. He lured my husband to Transylvania before we were married, he went from there. If I hadn't gone to Storybrooke, he would've eventually got his strength and gone after my daughter and I. I acted in defense of both my family and the countless people he would've preyed on."

"You can't save everyone."

"I made a sister in Emma," she told Persephone stubbornly, "They cared about me enough to come for me. I never wanted to hurt anyone all those years ago. I wanted to be married and have children and teach. I wanted both my parents alive. I wanted a simple life, but Dracula came in and he hurt us. He broke my family apart. Why should I have to be punished for something he did to us? I understand he's your son and I understand why you're hurting but I defended myself."

"You're a human, you don't have any rights compared to a god."

"Even a dog will have someone's sympathy if a human makes a habit of kicking it every day and it fights back."

Persephone slammed the palm of her hand against the table. Mina dragged her eyes down and then looked back up at Persephone.

"Your son hurt me,": Mina told her, "That's what happened. Why are we all being punished for not laying down and dying? Would you if your life was in danger? Or your children? "

Persephone stared at Mina, and shook slightly. Mina didn't know what was in her eyes now. Without another word to Mina, she stood and opened the door, "Take her back to her hospital bed."

"My lady, we still have a lot to sift through."

"It's enough for today," Persephone looked over to Mina, "We have other things we need to focus on before we leave."

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Charming was not allowed to be in the interrogation or the observation room for some reason, so he supposed there was still some things above James's paygrade.

So, he prepared to whatever he was going to have to do to get them out of here. Mina was going to be weak, he'd have to keep the armed guards off both of them, while assisting her, and trying not to die.

He was going to die.

He stared at the gun in his hand. He was in over his head and all he'd wanted to do was repay his debt to Mina for facing down her tormenter to save him. But here he was, he would never see his wife or children again if he didn't get off this island.

The seconds seemed to stretch into eternity, he paced the room. It all felt like it was coming apart. Seeing the vulnerable side of Melinoë today with no idea what to do, seeing Persephone and Pan and Cora, he didn't know how much longer he could keep up the act.

There was a file on the table, it had Mina's name. Charming opened it and read some basic information like height and weight. He scanned through the information and turned the page to read her known associates.

There were several pages of names, he expected that was what happened when one worked for eight years in the hunting community. Some were dead though, they had a district and address listed by their name. 

He saw his name and his family but when he got to one of the last pages, his eyes fell on something he hadn't expected.

Jonathan Sherrinford Harker – Moxaxia Level 36, Wing B, Room 3056

Alexander Nathanial Murray – Monaxia Level 36, Wing B, Room 3057

Mina's father and husband were here too

Maybe now he had help.

He heard the door behind him unlock and closed the file. He turned just in time to avoid Jekyll and the creature in front of him catching him looking through her files.

"They'll be done in just a few minutes," Jekyll told him as the creature went to stand behind him.

"Are they both alive?"

"For now," Jekyll put some medical scalpels and saws on a table, "Persephone's being faced with the news that she can't deny about how her son is a monster."

"Didn't she already know?"

"Of course she knew, but it's a difference to know something and then being faced with knowing you cannot deny it when it's staring you in the face."

"I see."

"Like the knowledge that you're not truly the former Prince James."

000000000000000000000000

When Mina was taken back to the infirmary, the adrenaline was already starting to wear off. She didn't know what meeting Persephone accomplished. She just wanted her to know that she never wanted any of this. She wanted the goddess to understand that she had had no choice but to fight. She supposed it was different view if one lived in an underworld where the next life was just around the corner but it was entirely different if one was human and had family above world.

The soldiers and the nurses wheeled her back to her bed. She linked her arm around the nurse's neck as they grabbed the blanket under her and went to move her from the gurney to the bed.

While her hand was behind the nurse's head, she removed a small hairpin. She kept it concealed in her hand as her vitals were taken. The cool metal of the cuff closed around her ankle. The guards walked back to their station.

Mina grabbed the leaving nurse, "Might I have some water please?"

The nurse nodded and went to pour a cup. Mina thanked her and drank from it. She handed it back to the nurse. When the nurse was distracted, Mina also stole her pass card. She waited a few moments till she was sure the guards weren't paying attention and felt for the cuff under the blanket. She slid the bobby pin inside, working it until she was free.

Her leg had snapped into place when that thing was looking through her memories. She was ready, and the guards chatting amongst themselves, this was her chance.

She already knew she would never reach Charming. She just hoped that her escaped prompted him to get away as well.

They could meet later.

She slid to the floor, and went to look under that low table to see if the gun was still there. She was relieved that it was and pulled it out. She kept her eyes open to her surroundings as she kept close to the floor and slid toward the supply closet.

Once she got there and got the door closed behind her, she was hopefully as good as free.

Just as she reached the door, she looked up to see the minotaur passing through the hallway. It looked at her through the hallway window just as she met its eyes.

It let out a roar, the guards with it drew their guns.

Mina slammed the keycard against the sensor (that's what Emma had told her they were called.) and slipped in before a bullet barely missed her head. She pulled herself in and slammed the door.

Bloody hell, she had to get out.

Mina checked the gun. There were two bullets left. She didn't know if it'd be enough to get her out but she hoped so.

Mina saw the window and she saw the oxygen tank. Just what she needed

Mina raised the gun and fired. The bullet embedded in the glass but barely cracked.

Mina grabbed an oxygen tank just as the minotaur outside slammed against the door. She rushed over to shove a bookshelf in front of the door to at least buy her SOME time.

She used what was left of her strength to prop the oxygen tank against the window and went to the corner.

She raised her gun and fired as the door slammed open.

The tank gave a small explosion, the window broke, Mina heard the loud sound of the tank embedding in the wall across from her. Glass and oceanwater poured in. An alarm somewhere sounded.

Mina let the useless gun fall and limped towards the window. She gripped the edge and took a breath, "Please…please…."

She pulled herself from the room, through the rushing water and into the ocean.

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Charming looked up, he paled. He should deny it but the millisecond of him being startled was all Jekyll seemed to need.

"Of course she suspected," Jekyll smirked, his body started twisting and contorting. Charming took a step back when he heard the bones grinding and snapping just under the skin. Jekyll started aging in front of him, 'But it wasn't until she found you hugging her daughter and hearing Cora talk that she realized you weren't who you claimed you were."

Charming reached to grab his gun. Jekyll threw an office table with one hand. Charming tried to move but it caught him in the side, and sent him to the floor.

He looked up to see the rest of the transformation. Jekyll was now no longer a middle aged solidly built man. He was a shriveled old smaller man with wispy hair and a goatee. And somehow Charming was more worried about this version of him than he was the larger Jekyll.

"She's very disappointed in you to say the least," Hyde walked forward.

Charming stood up, his fists balled. Hyde seemed amused that they were about to do this. Charming swung, aiming for the side of Hyde's head. Hyde moved inhumanly fast to avoid it and grabbed Charming by the neck. He lifted him up and slammed him hard against the table that Mina had previously been laying on.

"Did you really think you were going to escape with Harker in tow?" Hyde mocked, "This place was built to hold Titans. It was built to hold god killers. It was built to hold _me_. Don't tell me you arrogantly thought you could be the one to fool gods, storm the gates, and save some damsel?"

"It's not over yet."

Jekyll grabbed him with one hand, turned him over on his side and slammed a fist right into Charming's kidney. Charming screamed and knew that was going to damage his body. He had to get healed.

He felt something grab either side of his head. The creature was in the room, who once had its hold on Mina had him.

The memory of what it was doing to Mina made him resist, and that resistance twisted his body to feel pain. He tried to scream but felt it stop in his throat. He was losing control of his own body.

He had to get away, he had to see Snow again.

With the last of his control, he lifted one side of his body. His hand closed around the gun at the small of his back. He raised it up and aimed to where he THOUGHT the creature was. HE couldn't hear anything when he fired, but the thing removed it's hands. Charming was filled with a sense of relief. He kept one hand on his gun as he sat up.

The door was open, Hyde was gone.

Charming had to get to Mina before they did. 

His body resisted when he got on his feet. His back hurt, his side was tender, he could barely walk.

He heard people running down the hallway and took the open elevator. He pressed the button and pressed the close button before they turned the corner.

Get to the medical wing, get to the medical wing.

He heard it before he saw it. The elevator dinged, the doors opened. He raised his gun ready for a fight.

Water rushed in, knee high.

"What the hell?!" he demanded and sloshed out. He saw the medical team was clearing out. Soldiers were helping the ones Mina apparently injured the day before.

The water was climbing, he grabbed a fleeing nurse, "What happened?"

"One of the patients blew a window out. We have to get out before the seal doors close."

He looked around for Mina but he didn't see her. He prayed to the gods that she was able to get away but he needed to be sure.

"You!" he called to a soldier and followed him up the stairway, "Where's the Harker woman?"

"She blew out the window and either she drowned or she escaped out of it, I don't care, I didn't sign up for psychos."

"Fine, give me our guns." 

"What?!"

"I have to find her before she does any more damage, give me your guns!"

The soldier gave it to him without question. Charming holstered one and draped the machine gun across his body.

He was going to Level 36, Wing B

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Mina's lungs burned as she fought her way out of the window and kicked off with her feet. She didn't get far before an undercurrent carried her away from the island. She followed the direction and did her best to swim up.

But it was so far away, and she was so tired. She only made it somewhat close to the surface before her limbs became heavy, her head swam, and she was forced to breathe in the ice-cold water into her lungs when things started becoming dark. The agony closed off her throat, which left her in a worse position than she was before.

She didn't pass out like she thought she would, like they would above world. Her oxygen depleting, it was like she was dying while staying conscious. She nearly made it to the surface but it wasn't enough.

And then…she started to sink. And Mina knew that that was where it ended for her. She would sink at the bottom of the ocean floor. No one would find her. No one knew where she was. They would hope she escaped or assume she'd been captured and in reality, she was in a waking death, unable to breath, unable to move.

The sun above her was blocked by something...Mina felt her brain slowly shutting down but she could still realize that it was a ship.

Someone jumped in the water towards her.

And then she wasn't thinking anything anymore.

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No one stopped Charming as he raced through the hallways with a gun in tow. He was dressed as a civilian, he still had his visitor badge. So they were all more worried about making sure everyone was secure since Mina breached the infirmary and hopefully escaped.

He found the two doors easily enough and shot the locks. The doors slowly opened. He walked into the first one and saw an older man playing cards by himself. He looked over to Charming with a curious bemused expression, before asking in a thick German accent "Am I finally being executed?"

"Are you Mina's father?"

"I am….," he stopped, "How do you know my daughter?"

"We don't have time to explain, we have to go," he tossed him a gun.

The next room, a tall brown headed man sat curled in the corner. He rocked in place. Charming looked around the room to see there was nothing to entertain him like Mina's father had with the deck of cards.

"Who's this?" Alex asked in a thick German accent.

"Her husband," Charming went to kneel beside him. The man pulled away, "Are you Jonathan?"

"Can't talk, there's no talking," Jonathan whispered.

"Jonathan, my name is David. I'm here to save you."

"There's no way out."

"There is, Mina found one."

Jonathan stopped rocking back and forth, he turned to look at Charming with unfocused eyes, "Mina's here?"

Charming nodded, "We need to go."

"Where is she?!"

"Hopefully she's escaped by now," Charming pulled him up and went to the nurse's station where he saw the window that led underwater. Unlike the infirmary, it was much higher up, but it wasn't enough. He'd have to take him as far as he could and blow a window out before they were stopped.

Which meant back to the elevator.

He turned to face them, "Everyone can swim, right?"

For some reason, Jonathan started cackling, and Charming realized that maybe he was just going to spend the whole day in over his head.

00000000000000000000000

 **Centuries Ago**

For a very long time, Milah was satisfied with her lot in life. She didn't know how to do 'womanly' things such as sewing and cooking whereas Rumple did. Rumple didn't know anything about running a farm other than what it took to get the wool he needed for clothes, and Milah knew how to do that. So, they went about their lives together, using their strengths while teaching the other how to do things they were supposed to know in their free time…which there never seemed to be enough of.

No baby came. They tried when the harvest was good but nothing came of it and secretly Milah was relieved. They didn't starve but money would be tighter with a baby….or seven like some families had.

And trouble was always in the back of Milah's mind. The ogre war that everyone thought would end in four years didn't. The front lines moved closer and closer. One's choice to serve in the army was quickly replaced with drafts and Milah knew it was only a matter of time.

Then Rumple received his summons, and she had to come to terms with the fact that her overjoyed husband might go off to die.

Months passed and she learned that in that last night they had spent together, they had finally conceived a baby. It couldn't have come at a worse time. Milah was often sick and had to tend the fields and her husband's business while ill. She wasn't as skilled as he was, and the sitting and standing for long hours at a time caused her back and hips to ache so badly that she lay in bed for hours in pain.

Milah didn't know how he knew. No one who was drafted from their village had known when they were taken away. Rumple could barely read and Milah herself was illiterate, she couldn't write to him to tell him the news.

But somehow, he knew, and he injured himself to come home.

At first, Milah tried to ignore the barbs and the whispers. She clung to the belief that her husband would never shirk his duties to his kingdom. He was eager to fight, he was eager to prove himself whether alive or dead. His own father had been a coward. He had been killed in front of Rumple, Rumple had said so.

Then he came home, barely walking, covered in filth. Things changed after that, Milah couldn't defend him. He injured himself to flee from battle, and to top it all off he lied to her. He told her a seer told him about the baby and how he'd die if he didn't come back. But Milah was confused, because if they DID have a seer, how was the battle lost? She would see what happened in the future, she would know.

So Milah didn't believe him, she couldn't. He had his son but so did countless other men that chose to do their duty. One family that had 14 kids lost their father and ended up begging on the streets.

And the town turned on them more. Why should a coward have a roof over his head when good soldier's families did not?

She was confronted, spit on, shoved, abused. One woman yanked her son out of her arms so they could throw her down without the knowledge they'd hurt a baby. Rumple was mocked, tripped, pushed down and bullied as much as she was.

But he did not want to leave. Mentally, she knew it was a fool's attempt. Rumple's ankle was twisted, he could barely walk. They had livestock and sheep they wouldn't be able to take with them, they had a toddler one of them would have to carry and their belongings.

And she knew that they couldn't wander a war-torn country logically but oftentimes things were so bad and she was so depressed that she wanted to try her luck.

It became too much; she took to the tavern to escape the pain. She ignored her son when she shouldn't have, but what sort of mother was she anyway? If he was to grow up like this? If he was to be the son of a coward and her husband didn't see why they shouldn't stay, what more could she do? She'd go mad if she was given any more stress.

His work requests dried up, they sold what they could to survive. Milah sold drawings to soldiers who were far away from home while Rumple worked a meager life for the rest of them.

She began to resent her husband. The more she was tormented and shunned, the more she realized that her father was right. A real man did what it took to get what he wanted and survive with his family. Rumple would never be that for her OR Bae.

And Killian came along, with his swagger and youth and vibrancy for life, Milah fell in love with the idea of him first. She bested him at gambling, which got his attention. He told her stories of far off places which she fell in love with.

He promised her he'd take her away.

It was all that she wanted, it was all that she begged Rumple for. And at first, she considered telling Rumple, in her naiveté that there was a ship that would take them far away from this place. They wouldn't have to travel and avoid ogres that slipped through the front lines. They could have a real chance.

Then Milah realized she didn't want Rumple to come with her. Too much had happened that the idea of leaving him behind was more relieving than taking him with her. He would never change, and she didn't want to have the same argument over and over again that they'd had for years.

Especially when Killian made it clear he wanted her just as much as she wanted escape. She was clever, she could navigate, he could teach her to read and she'd rise above the ranks. She'd be more than she ever could hope to be trapped in a town as an outcast's wife.

So she made her choice. She couldn't take her son, she knew that. Bae was better off here anyway, she hadn't been a true mother for years. It was better he stay with a father that loved him than risk the ship being taken and Bae being turned into a cabin boy for another pirate.

Killian was adamant about that. And from the way he talked, it was not a pleasant thing to happen.

The idea took root in her head, and soon it was growing, and she found herself making plans.

And then one day, when he was in port, he told her he still wanted her. He told her as they spent the year together talking…. he thought maybe he was in love with her.

It could have been word play. Maybe it was at first but the years they would spend together would change the feeling for both of them. They'd fall in love in that time.

Milah had never loved Rumple. Their marriage was arranged, it was a fondness but it lacked passion and real love. They were support, filling their obligations. That was it.

And it was what Milah told herself as she woke early in the morning, before the sun rose, and went to meet Killian on his ship.

000000000000000000000000000000000000

 **Present Day**

Collette's house was an unassuming yellow one story with white trim. It was tastelessly perfectly boring. There was even a white picket fence.

"This is the address," Milah told her.

"Oh," Belle started, but made no move to leave, "Okay."

They sat there together for what seemed like an eternity, "I can't believe he's sorry, you know."

"Is it so hard?" Belle looked back.

"I sat here in purgatory for centuries because he murdered me," Milah said, "I get to be angry. That doesn't just go away just because he felt bad after it happened. I left, I hurt him, I understand where I failed in all this. But I didn't deserve _that."_

 _"_ I never said you didn't," Belle watched her, "I have to hope he's changed."

"For your sake, I hope so," Milah told her and genuinely meant it, "But I have countless people that came down here to say otherwise for me to believe he just suddenly decided to be better.."

"And how many people did you put down here?" Belle asked, "You're a pirate, plundering and pillaging doesn't come with no bodies."

"It was rare," she said, but she honestly didn't remember

"It was enough."

Milah's jaw tightened, "I do have to admit when I met you I thought you were weak willed. But if you stand up to him like this, I can see what he sees in you."

Belle looked back at the house, "I know you have no obligation but would you go with me?"

"I'm not the sort that mothers want to meet."

"For what it's worth, you are not the worst person I know," Belle opened the door. Milah followed and walked beside her as they walked up the sidewalk amongst the almost blinding green grass.

The door opened before Milah pressed the doorbell.

"Belle?" Colette gasped.

Belle's eyes filled with tears, "Mother?"

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Luckily for Charming, he found a higher floor that had a window that he easily broke. The waters flooded the room, they stayed in there until they couldn't anymore and swam for it. Both men were slow, he supposed he couldn't be surprised when they were trapped in a room for years.

The currents carried them over to the beach. Charming crawled into the sand and collapsed. They would continue to run in a moment…just…in a moment…

"That was exhausting," Jonathan gasped, "It's like my muscles atrophied except for the fact my body never changes, so they didn't."

Charming rolled back on his belly. He had to get up, he had to get them to safety.

He turned to address the only sane man with him, but saw Mina's father staring at him with mistrust, "Who are you?" 

"He's Mina's new husband, it's obvious," Jonathan gasped.

"What?" Charming looked over, "No!"

"What do you mean by _new_ husband?"

"I'm her old husband," Jonathan stood up.

"I'm sorry?" Alex looked at Charming again, "You're her husband."

"No! I'm her like…adopted dad or something."

He thought Emma and Mina thought of themselves as sisters but it was hard to tell given the way they talked about the other. Charming was often very confused at what the relationship actually was.

"David?"

Charming looked up to see a welcome sight. Rumple stood in front of him, the rest of them were behind him.

"What happened?!" Emma asked.

"The plan imploded," Charming struggled to stand.

Emma swallowed, 'Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he brushed the sand away, "Mina got away, I think…we have to go find her, the window she got out of was on the other side of the island. There's no beach on that side.'

A siren shrieked through the air, Rumple turned to it and then back to them, "There's no time."

"Papa?"

He turned to the voice and his eyes grew when he saw Alex, "Alex?"

While they stared at each other, Emma rushed to the water. She put her hand into the sand and closed her eyes.

"What's she doing?" Jonathan whispered.

"Looking for her," Rumple whispered back, then did a double take to Jonathan, "And who are _you_?!"

Emma pulled back, "She's not there."

"She probably got captured again," Killian whispered.

"We escaped from the fifth floor, Mina was a lot further down in the facility and on the other side," Charming coughed.

"So?"

"We'd have seen something if they'd dispatched a boat to get her," Rumple turned, "And if they had captured her, they'd have immediately come for Charming and these two. No, they'd have had to drag the bottom of the ocean for her, there'd be boats out there now. Emma confirmed it, she's not in the water."

"So if we don't have her, and the ocean doesn't have her, and THEY don't have her…. who has her?" Baelfire asked quietly.

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Mina was…aware that she was being pulled up a boat, she was aware someone checking her ID bracelet that she had from the asylum. She was aware she was being pulled up into a bigger ship but somehow her mind didn't process anything of what was happening to her. It was like she was aware of what was going on in her surroundings, but there was some sort of darkness that came with it. She 'knew' what was happening but her mind was shut off.

They started compressions on her chest and her stomach. Water left her mouth and nose. They breathed into her and finally her body seemed to click on. She rolled to the side and coughed up what felt like gallons and gallons of water.

"Good lass, get the sea from your lungs."

She was still weak, she nearly fell face first into the water she just practically vomited up but sets of hands kept her from face planting on the deck and rolled her back on her back.

A very tall man stood over her, "You just experienced the waking death, you will move in time. Your brain needs to heal and get control of your body again. It's not an ideal way to recover but we've dragged parts of the ocean and found men down there decades longer than you were. Unfortunately, they went quite mad."

Mina at least had enough control to blink. She felt them drape blankets around her and bundle her up while one man held onto her head to keep her from attempting to move. Her gaze slid over and noticed some men had hands on their pistols and swords.

She looked up towards the sky and settled on the flag. They would take her down below to a hidden room where she would sleep. And when she awoke, she would remember who the flag belonged to.

She'd seen it in some of her Uncles books one holiday.

It was Blackbeard's flag.

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Persephone had suspected when she saw James looking haggard that he was not James. It was something that just played in her mind, this little conspiracy theory. When she was bored, she went into 'what if' scenarios.

It wasn't until Cora said that James wasn't James that the belief started to take root. Combined with Malcom acting oddly, Persephone took a moment to step away from the former sheriff now mayor to look at how he acted alone.

When she saw him take Mina's hand on the cameras, she knew.

And then when she remembered finding _him,_ of all people hugging her daughter, she took the boat and left with Malcom. She would murder him if she saw him again and that would waste his usefulness Hyde was given strict instructions. They were to comb through his memories and feed him to the titans. He would never be seen again.

When she reached the palace, she got the news about the breaches. Charming escaped, Mina escaped, her husband and father were with Charming when he blew out a window on the fifth floor and swam his way to safety.

"Any injuries?"

"Some, my lady, there were a couple of drownings."

"They'll be fine," Persephone muttered, "What of the living?"

"They're gone. They slipped past the guards. We think the Dark One figured out one of the hexes he was working on when he died, and used it to escape."

"Is there anything in the house?"

"He also used a hex to keep us out."

"Find a way in, Search the house, then Burn it to the ground," Persephone hissed, "Find them."

"Yes, my lady."

Persephone marched through the halls, ignoring everyone as they scurried out of her way and bowed.

She found her way to her daughter's apartment. Thankfully upon entering, Melinoë was sitting on a window seat on the bed, "Mother? Mother, I'm sorry, I just wanted-."

Persephone embraced her, she was safe. She hadn't snuck out to find 'James' again, and Persephone couldn't say that she was looking forward to breaking THAT news.

"Mother?" Melinoë asked in confusion.

Persephone pulled away and held her face, "I need you to tell me what your plan was when we found you out."

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It had taken a day to get their Storybrooke affairs in order. Snow and Regina had settled the matter together before morning had even come. After the dreams, it was obvious, they had to go try and help their family.

Breaking it to Henry was hard. When they hadn't gotten through to the family, he'd been terrified, but with much promising and threats, they finally got him to agree to stay behind. Robert and Lizzie were babies, and the nuns could take care of them but Henry needed to be there too….just in case.

And it wasn't something Emma would want.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Snow asked

"Rumple left a vial of his blood with me just in case this happened," Regina poured it into the water, "He knew this plan was shoddy at best but good luck telling any one of them anything."

They waited for the fog to come over the lake. Snow fidgeted. Regina had wanted to leave her behind but Snow had refused. If something was wrong, Snow needed to check on it, she needed to try and fix it.

Charon's boat appeared; Snow and Regina both stepped in the shallow lake to meet it.


	5. 4B E04 - Two Hours til Sunset

They were gone.

Hades didn't need to have his assistants toss the house to know that as soon as David Nolan infiltrated the asylum, the rest of them would flee like rats escaping a sinking ship. They could be anywhere! He had all his departments notified, he doubted that Charming would get far without help.

Hopefully.

Malcom, his new sheriff, stood in front of him at the beach that connected to their palace, "The woman escaped from the medical unit window. She blew it right out. The prince took two prisoners; Jonathan Harker and Alexander Murray and escaped out a higher floor window afterwards."

Bloody hell, how did he know THEY were there?!

"Did they reunite with her?"

"Unknown, there weren't many witnesses once alarms started going off."

Hades barely regarded him, all this work and for what? She still managed to escape, Charming managed to get in and out, "I don't fancy the idea of a Murray-Harker family reunion."

Malcom shifted, "I can find them an easier way."

"And how do you propose that?"

"You give me my youth…you give me my flight."

Hades scoffed, "You have your youth, you got your immortality."

"This shell doesn't strike fear in them once I find them. They know me as Pan, I was a threat as long as I was Pan. Even Rumpelstiltskin was scared of me. Now I'm just his bumbling drunk father they got a glimpse of when they killed me. I'm a good investment, you just have to let me be _him_ again."

Hades stopped and mulled it over, "I don't fancy you being Pan either. The last thing I want is you secluding yourself with a bunch of mostly little boys to keep you company."

"You know this is what you need to do to scatter them, this is what works and you know it."

Hades scoffed, "I'm changing you back when you're done."

"I think you'll like me when I'm more effective."

Malcom wouldn't be sheriff after this, James would be once they were done questioning him and getting whatever information they could about these people that they didn't already know.

"Fine," he waved his hand and watched as Malcom de-aged in front of him down to the young near immortal that he had been when he ruled over his little island kingdom. He even let him have the tights. Who said Hades wasn't merciful?

Malcom looked over himself and raised an arrogant eyebrow, "Like slipping into familiar clothes."

"Just try not to kidnap any innocent children while you're gone, they're all assigned to families."

"Well, it's not _my_ fault if they want to come with me. If they feel lost, it's their parents fault, not mine."

Hades watched him with half closed eyes and smirked. Without warning, he struck, slapping "Pan" right across his smug face. Pan stood there stunned for a minute and then turned, staring at Hades with as much rage and anger that a sociopath without control could muster, "Do you feel better, my lord?"

He just didn't like hurt children.

"If you find them, you can keep your youth, but you can't keep your flight. That will be all."

"If I don't have that, I can't do my job. I can't be a sheriff if I don't have flight."

"Yes, I know" Hades took a sip of his wine

Pan stood there, opened his mouth to argue but without a word started levitating. The relief on his face once he had his idea of freedom was unmistakable. He rose higher and higher, Hades was almost tempted to take it away just to watch him fall in the ocean. Pan himself had done it to countless children before his time started running out and he couldn't fly anymore. Many had joined them down here.

"Having fun?"

He turned to see his wife; next to her was Melinoë looking downcast. He saw she'd been crying, she either disobeyed again or she just learned that the man she'd trusted these past days was actually one of her brothers' killer in disguise.

The thought of one of those…people…touching his daughter, _hugging_ his daughter brought his hackles up. If there wasn't any reason to hate them before because of 'self-defense', this gave a good reason.

"Nothing more fun than sending a monster free because another monster couldn't do his job and keep three mortals still," He took his wife's hand and kissed her, "What's this?"

"Melinoë has decided to divulge her little plan after she lured them here," Persephone told him.

He turned and waited.

Melinoë shifted from one foot to the other, she didn't look up as she started to get the words out, "I'm the goddess of nightmares and madness. I was…I sent them nightmares but it wasn't enough. It never felt right. You can wake out of a bad dream but…you can't escape insanity. I was going to…I was going to bring them down here and drive them crazy and let them go back. So when they returned…if they didn't die down here, they would never be a threat to us. I'd have driven them mad and we wouldn't ever have to worry about anything."

Hades sighed; a child's game, "And framing Cora?"

"I was going to do the same to Mina. If I got James as mayor, I could get access to the island."

"He wouldn't let you."

"He lets me do whatever I want as long as I'm not in danger," she snapped, "He would have stayed with me while I was there to make sure that didn't happen"

That got Hades attention, "And what's your relationship to him, again?"

"He's my protector."

"And what else?"

"Nothing, papa. He knows better."

Well thank the fates Charming didn't have to masquerade as _that,_ "Go on."

"I was going to get access of the island and drive the Harker bitch crazy too. It would be easy to trap them out there…isolate them…all I would need is to press the right buttons."

"And you think you have that figured out, have you?"

"Rumpelstiltskin and Emma Swan are the most powerful ones in that group. Their weaknesses are the easiest. Once I toppled them, the rest would be no challenge. I've done this for years, they're no different. Erebus would've succeeded in trapping them in that carnival of his if he'd had _me."_

It was then he saw in his daughter's eyes, through her anger and resentment the cost of everything they'd done. It was a cycle of revenge, wasn't it? Zeus and Hera hurt Persephone, so his children got revenge on their domain by creating monsters and wrecking their own havoc. The humans fought back, the gods punished them. That had been the way of it for millennia and now that the humans were fighting back and murdering gods, it would just continue. His children would strike and strike and in the end, what would be accomplished?

He'd allowed himself to be blinded by his own grief in Zagreus's death. He had been against their idea of going against humans, but he had always let his children make their own decisions when they were grown. He should have stopped it long ago.

And he looked over to his wife and saw there was some recognition in her eyes as well.

He looked back over to his daughter, "Go to the kitchens, get yourself a late dinner."

"Am I still confined to my room?" 

"No. I want you to stay close, obviously, until they're found"

Melinoë nodded and went back towards the house.

Persephone went to take her husband's arm and went to walk the shoreline with her him, "Driving god murderers crazy just to ensure everyone is safe, gods, imagine our little baby thinking this up."

Hades was quiet, "She did this, she brought all of this to our doorstep,"

Persephone went to sit in the sand with a groan, "Well, at least we know for sure that they're not here to kill us or hurt the children."

Hades sat on his knees, this was a clean suit, "Are you alright?"

Persephone said, "He masqueraded as her bodyguard and friend, Hades. If we forgave everything else, we can't forgive that."

Hades ran a hand through her hair, "I don't know, I'm just…I'm tired of being angry. Aren't you? They were going to leave us alone, they were going to live their lives in peace and leave Mina down here. Our daughter continued this. It started when Erebus and Ichor came to their town. Don't you notice a pattern?"

"They shouldn't have the right to kill gods," Persephone said but he heard her voice wavering.

"Our sons attacked them, our daughter tried to attack them again. What do we have to stand on? They killed our sons because they didn't understand the order of things…but our sons brought chaos to their doorstep."

"What are you saying?" 

"I'm saying if we go after god killers that we antagonized, the only result we get is dead gods, and the cycle of revenge continues. We're going to be dead and where does that leave the rest of our children? "

Persephone listened to him, she looked down at her hands, "Mina Harker told me something. She told me…that…Ichor raped her best friend. That what Zeus did to me was what our son did to Lucy Westerna.

The idea sent a feeling of icy dread through him. If that was true then how could they say they stood in the right? How did Ichor? And how did he stand with Erebus who tried to kill a child to hurt and get control of the savior after their baby brother was ripped apart?

"Do you believe her?" he asked.

Persephone curled up in herself, "People say things to make themselves the victim all the time."

But he saw it in her body language that she did, "Oh Seph."

"Where do we go from here?" Persephone finally asked.

Hades looked back out into the water. Was this what the parents up there felt like when their children were revealed to be murderous monsters and they had their heads in the sand this whole time? It was easy to separate themselves from the mortals and down here it was always easy to forget that they weren't all that different. '

"I don't know," he told her.

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As they came ashore from the fog, Snow already didn't like the Underworld. Where above, the sun was bright and shining and warm, this place felt…colder and muffled. Like snowy days without the snow and the calm it brought.

The boat reached the dock, Snow stepped out first, followed by Regina.

"Do you have the location spell?" Regina asked

Snow nodded and held out the vial, "It was the last of Rumple's supply."

"Fine, lets hope it's enough," Regina wrapped her coat around her tighter, "It's cold out here."

They both heard something move behind them, both immediately turned back towards the boat. Regina had her fireball ready, Snow had her bow and arrow drawn.

"Don't shoot," Henry came out from under some blankets, "It's only me."

"Henry?!" Snow gasped, "How did you get in here?"

"I….ate some spare mushroom from Wonderland, the one you had in your vault and rode in your pocket."

Regina's eyes grew, "You did WHAT?!"

"Regina," Snow whispered.

"No, no you're not staying, you're going home," Regina grabbed his sleeve and started pulling him to the boat.

"They're my family too!"

"You're still a child."

"I killed Alina. I can handle myself."

"Harker killed Alina, you just knocked her on her backside," Regina stopped as Charon started pushing the boat from the shore, "Hey! Return to sender!"

Snow came forward, "I don't think he's coming back."

Regina kept her grip on Henry, "You're in so much trouble."

"What's done is done, and I think we have to acknowledge that and get off the streets," Snow went to move them both away, "Remember, it's not safe outside."

"Fine!" Regina moved away, "And as for you, you're still grounded."

Henry groaned.

"Henry, what were you thinking?" Snow scolded.

"The mirror wasn't working! Something's clearly wrong."

"It doesn't mean anything's wrong, someone could just be clumsy"

"Then why are you both here?" Henry asked, "IT's worse than what you've all been telling me, isn't it?"

Regina glared ahead, "Then that means you stay behind. You've been in enough danger."

"And if they're in danger, they might not come back!"

Regina stopped then, her eyes widened when she realized Henry was thinking of the worst possible option. She stopped and bent a bit, searching his eyes. She saw some fear there, fear that shouldn't be on the heart of the truest believer's face, "They're not dead. Emma would never let everyone die."

"If they are, and I stayed behind, I'd never see them again."

Regina wasn't sure what to say to that. She couldn't tell if it was genuine or manipulative or both. Instead, she sighed, "Snow's right, we have to get off the streets. At least until the sun's finished setting."

"Where should we go?" Snow looked around.

"Probably an empty house, that'd be the best option. I don't expect there's an address book with all our friends on there," Regina looked at Snow, "Well…your friends."

They wandered the streets for a while, cutting in alleyways, hiding when people came by. It went on for half an hour, but every home they say was lit up, people moved around in them. Anything that was empty was locked and looked lived in.

This was already doomed to fail.

"Regina?"

And finally, after an hour of searching, Regina turned and looked at the familiar eyes in front of her.

She felt a sob leave her throat, "Daddy?"

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Captain Blackbeard, formerly known as Edward Teach had spent his entire life spitting in the face of whatever laws and civilizations he had found himself surrounded by at any given time. He robbed, pillaged, and destroyed anyone that got in his way. He wasn't the most vicious pirate in history but he was the most well-known. He only knew THAT much because of all those that had come after him. His reputation down here was greater than his reputation when he was alive and by all accounts, that was saying something given how many generations were stuck down here with him.

So, pulling the woman out of the water knowing full well Hades would want her back was just something that someone like him would do. And his reputation guaranteed that his men or anyone that saw him were not stupid enough to be the ones to talk to the god of the underworld or his sycophants about where she was.

He sat writing orders in his chambers when his quartermaster; Matthew, came in, "Apparently, men can fly now. We just all saw one"

Blackbeard looked up, "Is that something they're doing in one of the worlds?"

"I don't know. He flew close though, examined us before Bonny and Bones started firing. He was looking for something."

"Or someone."

"That's what I was thinking," Marston looked thought, "Could be that the tales about Pan are true."

Blackbeard scoffed, "Now I've heard everything."

He needed answers. If they were sending flying men to look around, he wanted to know what he got himself into by pulling her out of the drink.

He stood and walked around the desk. One of the cabin boys had put a bowl of stew out for him a few minutes earlier, but he hadn't been hungry. He made sure the curtains in his quarters were drawn, and when he was sure he pressed the mechanism in the wall that slid back and revealed a room just big enough to house a cot, a table and a wash basin. He had used a room like this several times when he'd been alive. He was a pirate sure, but he hasn't as vicious as some of the others like him. If he stumbled on a ship carrying women chances are they would stay in his quarters for their own protection. Or in hidden rooms such as these which used to be scattered all around the Queen Anne's Revenge.

The woman turned her head slightly, he could tell he woke her.

The way she moved, she didn't have full use of her limbs yet, that would probably happen today. He didn't need someone like her moving about, he just needed her to speak.

"What's your name?" he asked.

She just glared at him.

"I'm not going to hurt you, I have no interest in you, the crew won't touch you, I just want your name," he told her.

She hesitated, "Mina Harker."

Her speech was still slightly slurred, she had trouble forming the words. But it was passing, he expected a full conversation, "My name is Edward Teach. I'm Killian's father."

She didn't look that surprised by the revelation, "I know."

"And what are you to him?" 

More silence.

He sighed, this was going to be a long day. He put the bowl of stew on the bed next to her and put a spoon next to it, "Probably easier for you and your taste to just drink it."

She stubbornly picked up the bowl and spoon. He watched as she struggled, but the bitch was determined. She spilled more of it on her that what she got in her mouth, but overall she seemed satisfied with herself that she was making some sort of progress.

He pulled a chair up and sat down, "I trust you know who I really am?"

"Yes," she looked up at him and waited.

"So, you know what I'll do if you start to make things difficult."

She blinked, her face went blank and she gave a smirk, "I heard when you died, your body swam around the ship five times before you sank. That's quite a feat."

"Can't say I remember much of it."

She smiled at the black humor, "What do you bloody want then?"

"I want to know who you are."

"I've told you."

"In relation to my son and the god of the underworld."

Mina shrugged, "Why should it matter?"

"Well, the former is for my own curiosity, the latter is for the safety of my crew."

"Why should you care?" she asked, growing more guarded, "If you've been a pirate all this time?"

He was going to go for it, "Well given that my son came to me asking for help about a Mina Harker soon after gods died and the living are here, I can't help but wonder if you have something to do with it."

"Can't say. I WAS in that asylum since I've been dead."

"For what?"

"I killed vampire children."

"That's not a punishable crime."

"Isn't it?" she asked sharply.

"There are worse here that walk free, so tell me, did you kill gods?"

"I killed a lot," she said, trying to hide her emotions, "Maybe some gods got mixed in."

"And what are you to Killian?"

"Must have been someone I ran with."

"He told you I was his father, which he never admits to anyone. He even changed his name to keep from being associated with me. But he's only just someone you ran with?"

"Well perhaps you're not that important to keep secret. he didn't make that big of an impression on me. But I don't speak for him, that's just rude."

"He cares about you enough for his brother to make contact with me, I'd say you were worth more to him than just someone who he ran with."

"Well then I suppose "I" made an impression," she hissed.

Blackbeard felt he had all he needed from her denials, he stood and moved the chair, "I sure hope so."

"What happens now?" she asked.

"Well, we get in contact with my sons and hope they want you," his hand closed on the knob, "Because if not, or if you try to escape, I'll sell you back to Hades."

And he slammed the door.

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Rumpelstiltskin's mind was a whirl as he took them to the field that they'd been planning to hide out in. He used his magic, and the magic he'd decoded in the underworld to make them a cloak and magic up a house and farmland big enough for them to survive on in the very very long time that the dead that helped them would have to hide from the wrath of the gods.

They were going to get found eventually. He knew that but hopefully with everything he put in place, this would give them a fighting chance.

Alex was down here, was so Jonathan. He needed to process that and he didn't have time to because he had to get everyone to safety. Not only that, his wife was still out there with Milah, and he had to go find her.

And Bae? How was Bae taking this? Bae had taken it a bit hard that Rumple had raised Alex for five years and Alex had thought of him like a father. Bae never knew he existed. Rumple knew it bothered Bae a lot more than he let on. He had WANTED to tell him, he had wanted to tell him all sorts of things, but everything just kept getting in the way.

And now Mina was still somewhere out there; hopefully NOT back in the custody of Hades and Persephone. It would be worse for her if they caught her after escaping.

Alex came up to him, "Papa."

Rumple smirked as he looked at the work he had done. The farm had chickens and horses and cows, they didn't really NEED all this, but at the very least, farming would give them something to do. It wasn't much but he was proud of it, "Son?"

"No one's really telling me anything. I'm getting bits and pieces but nothing's making any sense."

Rumple's smirk fell and he finally looked over at his boy. Alex had died at around 60 years old, which made him biologically older than Rumple. Anyone that didn't know the context of the situation would most likely think odd things in hearing one middle aged man call another middle aged man 'papa'. He took the moment to embrace his son. Alex returned the hug and only pulled back when Rumple cuffed him on the back of the head.

"You didn't tell your family about what you really were," he said to Alex simply but sharply, "Mina found out through me that you used to be a hunter. She didn't take it well."

Alex tensed, "It's true, isn't it? My daughter's dead."

Rumple stared ahead, he swallowed heavily, "Dracula came back. Dracula killed you. That wasn't enough, he came for her when she was 21 and then again when she was 28 before we dispatched with him for good…. but it cost her her life."

Alex drew in a tight breath, tears fell down his face, "It wasn't supposed to happen. We were supposed to have dealt with him for good."

Rumple closed his eyes to keep from showing his own grief, "I'm sorry. In my effort to keep you and your family safe, I tried to keep you out of the curse. I tried to do the right thing for at least one of my sons…but I didn't see that that decision is what ripped you all apart. If I did…. I'd have-."

"Beth would never have stood for being trapped in a curse while she was pregnant for 28 years, especially if she found out I knew about it," Alex looked at him, eyes searching for…. something, "I didn't tell Mina or Beth because I was trying to protect them."

"I know. But I'm not the one you need to be telling that to."

"Is there any news?"

"Not yet."

Alex sighed, he nodded towards Bae, "Is that him?"

Rumple beamed with pride, "Yes."

"He's younger than I thought," Alex studied him interacting with Emma, "Who's the blonde?"

"Emma Swan; the savior," he looked at Alex, "She's the mother of my grandchild. They're finally working things out."

"That sounds like a complicated story."

"It is," Rumple went to watch them again, "I think he's finally starting to forgive me."

Alex put a hand on his adopted father's shoulder, "It would be a lot to take in."

"I know," Rumple sighed, "I just…. hoped upon hope that I would be wrong and maybe he would forgive me automatically."

"Did you tell him everything you were feeling?"

"I told his imposter everything I was feeling," Rumple said bitterly, "I offered to make HIM young again."

" _Papa!"_

"I panicked," was all Rumple said before adding, "I didn't truly expect to make it that far."

They watched everyone moving to get things ready, "Will I be forgiven, do you think?"

"I don't know," Rumple looked at him, "Mina was very upset when she found out the truth. However, she's pragmatic, if there's anyone that will eventually understand why you did what you did, it's her. It just might be….further down the line than what you'd like. She's not the same little girl you left behind. She…I imagine she's darker than the child you raised."

"I never wanted this world to be an option for her."

"She died bravely," but Rumple knew that would amount to much, "She sacrificed herself to save the rest of us."

"But she was hunting," Alex didn't bother to hide the grief in his voice. Because if Mina was hunting both he and Rumple knew very well the things Mina most likely saw and the people she interacted with.

"Yes," Rumple said and looked towards Jonathan, as Charming was escorting him to the house to rest. The man was exhausted, since he'd gotten out, he'd had to move nonstop and he'd been emotional since he found out Mina died, "She lost Jonathan. Dracula murdered him in front of her and she just…I suppose she went into hunting. I don't…I don't know the full story. She's closer with Emma than she was with me."

"How long was she near you?"

"A few days. To be honest, I think the idea of the Dark One being her adopted grandfather made her uncomfortable…..and well, she had other things she had to focus on."

There was a part of him that regretted they never had the opportunity to try and interact more than they did.

"So, you didn't know the husband at all."

"No, but she loved him, that's all

"And Beth?"

Rumple looked down, "I don't know, she didn't talk much about her mother."

"I need to know everything you know. I need to understand what happened."

"Of course," Rumple turned, he was going to tell him everything, even about Mina's baby and who fathered it. THAT wasn't something he wanted surprising his son.

"RUMPLE!" Emma screamed.

He saw their friends gathering, he magicked himself and Alex over to see what was happening. Liam was on the phone, he raised a finger to his lips and then focused back to whomever he was talking to, "I know you have her, or you know who does. We have friends that saw your ship when he was sailing by. He knew pirates were in the area….I KNOW it was your ship because our friend described your ship. You don't have to be flying your flag to know it was the Queen Anne's Revenge."

"What's going on?" Rumple whispered to Charming.

"I saw a pirate ship when I was taking Persephone to Monaxia," Charming whispered, "I was worried but she wasn't, and then…everything happened so I forgot about it until now. I figured maybe they might have Mina and then Liam said that the ship I described sounded like Blackbeard's ship."

"I'm not playing your game, Jameson, you idiot, why are you denying it when Blackbeard WANTS us to make contact?" Liam hissed, "You tell my father that if he wants us to listen to his story, that he has a deal. But she better be safe."

"Tell him if he doesn't hand her over, I'm going there myself to get her back," Rumple told him. He was bluffing. He had no idea where the vessel was and since he didn't know some sort of layout of the vessel, his arrival would be tricky.

"Did you hear that?" Liam asked, "That was the Dark One talking. The Dark One is her adopted grandfather…what do you MEAN she's not on the ship?"

"He's lying," Killian said, "He knows she's valuable, he'd keep her close."

Liam looked up, "He's saying if anyone invades his ship, he's giving the go ahead to have her taken back to Hades."

Emma stiffened, "Where are we meeting?"

Liam turned back to the phone, "Where? We can't meet in the bar, we're blown, we're in hiding. Where the hell is Madison's island?"

"I know it," Killian said.

"Fine, you have a deal. We'll meet in two hours. No, sunset isn't a good tim-," he stopped and nodded, "Fine, sunset it is."

He hung up the phone and turned to them, "I'm getting the feeling she's unharmed, but it took everything I had just to get the idiot to admit she was there."

"Trying to show off and look like he had the upper hand, I've seen it before," Rumple muttered.

"Did you talk to father at all?" Killian asked.

"No, Jameson was my contact. I had a hunch and it paid off."

"Well at least she's not back in that place," Charming ran a hand through his hair.

"She's with pirates, isn't that just as bad?" Emma asked.

"Father won't harm her," Liam muttered.

"As long as she behaves," Killian grumbled, "and anyone that knows her and knows she just escaped that place knows very well she won't."

"The sun sets in two hours, so let's hope she can keep it together that long," Liam told him, "Because at least now we know where she is and that she's most likely safe. If she gets away, she's in a worse situation than what she's in now. Better the devil we know than the devil we don't."

Killian was quiet, "I was hoping we could avoid this with him."

Liam crossed his arms, "Me too."

"Suppose he really wants to talk," Killian pulled away and went into the new house.

Rumple turned around, "Now that all of you are secure, I have to go find my wife."

"Do you need help?" Red asked.

"No dearie," Rumple turned, "I know where she is. She's with her mother."

"You might need some extra help in case someone figures that out too," Red leaned in, "And if you don't know where that is, I can help sniff it out."

"That's terrifying." 

"There's no real better way to put it" she shrugged.

He watched her, she had been there with him and had helped rip Dracula apart after Mina had killed herself. He didn't know how much that affected her, he wasn't close to Red and figured Regina would be the one she could talk to about that darkness inside her.

"Alright."

"I'm going too," Alex told him.

"Alex-," Rumple hesitated, but this was his son who wanted to know about his daughter in the twelve years he'd been dead, "Fine. But you've escaped prison, you're keeping that face covered up.

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When Belle had been told her mother died, she hadn't had time to mourn. The last time she saw her mother, they had been hiding the library from ogres that had managed to breach the castle.

There was a war ot think about, and a wedding to prepare for, and a Dark One to wait for….and then to wait on. After that, she'd been captured in the queen's castle. One would think that left her time to think and mourn but by then, mourning her mum after all those months just felt wrong. And so she felt she was stuck feeling out of place. She hadn't had time to mourn her mother after it happened and it felt wrong to mourn months later when she had nothing else but her thoughts to keep her company.

But now she was here, getting that second chance just to see her mother and hse took her in as much as she could. She thought her mother was younger than she actually had been. Her hair had only just started to gray and there were the beginnings of wrinkles around her eyes.

"Mother," she whispered as she sat across from her in the living room. She didn't realize she hadn't let go of her mom's hands until her mom had to pull away to sit across from her.

"How did you get down here?" her mother demanded, "Have the ogres killed you?" 

"No, I'm not dead, I came down here for….to see you."

Her mother's eyes went to Milah who was awkwardly wanding around the rooms, "Who is that?"

"It's a long story," Belle said after a moment of silence, "It's all a long story, but mum, it's so good to see you."

"It's good to see you too, my darling Belle," her mother caressed her face and Belle detected a faint hint of her perfume, something she'd forgotten in the years that she'd been dead, "Tell me everything, was the war won?"

"Yes, we um…we struck a deal…mother there's a lot you don't know. A lot that I don't think anyone's told you since you passed."

Her mother's gaze hardened, "He told me that the Dark One forced you to go with him."

Belle blinked, "He who?"

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Milah had brought herself along to show Belle where her mother was because she wanted to know her ex-husband's wife and what sort of woman would marry a man that killed his wife. She hadn't really thought through the part where they'd actually find the mother and therefore didn't know how to spend her time while they bonded.

So, she wondered from room to room, examining the house. Everything was perfect, clean, and in its place. Milah was a little startled, usually royals had a hard time adjusting to life down here, they always tried to have more people to do it FOR them but Milah didn't see any evidence of a servant in the house.

But she did spot the dark-haired man skulking around before he crossed the street. Something immediately told her that he was headed for the house. She took a look at Belle talking to her mother in the living room and made her decision.

She met the man outside before he could ring the doorbell. The man looked at her in surprise and took her in, "Who are you?"

Milah pulled out a badge that Graham had made for her soon after he got here. He made them for everyone in the family just in case they ever crossed into other territories and ran into trouble, "Deputy in the 134th."

"Is Collette okay?"

"She's fine, she's just answering some questions."

"What sort of questions?"

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Milah tilted her head.

"I am Sir Gaston," he pulled back his coat and revealed his own badge, "Deputy at the 47th."

Miah's smirk fell.

"You've got a lot of nerve coming to my jurisdiction without calling me."

Milah didn't let it derail her, and thought up a lie quickly enough, "I'm not working with your low clearance."

"Excuse me?"

"Why are you here again?" she asked

"I'm her daughter's fiancé, I keep an eye on her mother until she arrives. We can all move on together."

Milah kept her face impassive; either this guy was delusional or Belle had been naughty, "I'm working for Lord Hades, I'm to move Collette into protective custody."

"You're not taking someone under my charge."

She shrugged, "Sorry."

"I have to confirm who you are."

"What part of 'high clearance' do you not understand?"

"You think you can just say that and I'll buy it? Try again."

Milah heard the door open up behind her, "What's going on?"

Milah turned to shoo Belle back inside but it was too late. She saw Gaston and Gaston saw her.

"Belle?" he gasped, "Belle, you're down here?"

"Gaston?!" Belle's mouth fell open, "But- But HOW?! What are you doing here?"

"The Dark One killed me," he said bitterly, "I came to save you and he waved his hand and I was…I was _dead."_

Milah saw Belle give her a fleeting look, and she gave her a wry look back. She imagined the last thing the wife of a man who killed his first wife wanted that first wife to hear that that her new husband had killed that wife's fiancé.

Wait…no yeah, that sounded right.

"I- but how? When?"

"I don't know, but I looked for you, I had to wait until spring-."

"Rumple, he-."

"Belle!"

They all looked over, Milah saw Rumple, the woman called Red, and an older man she didn't recognize.

"Bloody hell," Milah whispered.

Her gaze slid over to Gaston, who without a word pulled out his bow and arrow.

"NO!" Colette yelled.

The arrow flew. Rumple caught it with a bored expression on his face and tossed the arrow aside, "Really dearie?"

"You bastard," Gaston hissed, "You took everything."

"Nothing and no one belonged to you," Rumple sneered.

"Rumple?" Belle looked at him.

"We've been found," Rumple said without looking at her, "We have to go."

"I'm not leaving without my mother."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Rumple waved his hand, taking all of them with a puff of smoke.

Milah expected to be taken back home but to her surprise she found herself standing on a patio of a porch she KNEW wasn't the one she'd spent the last several years in.

"Well," Belle said after a moment, "It looks like we have to talk."

Rumple moved forward, Milah found herself moving in front of him, "Easy there, Rumple."

"I wouldn't-," He stopped, "No, I wouldn't."

"Harm your wife?" Milah raised an eyebrow, and then just looked sad for him, "You're telling this to _me?"_

"It's different."

"Maybe," she told him, "But I'm protecting her either way."

He looked back to his wife, "Belle, I'm sorry."

"you killed Gaston when you didn't have to?"

"I was a different man then. And you knew how dark I was."

"Everything with Robin Hood that we went through and you killed Gaston…when? Before or after?"

He was quiet, "The same day I let you go. He was the rose I gave you."

Belle took a step back in horror, "I clipped that rose!"

"He was already dead, Belle. You didn't kill him."

Unsurprisingly, that didn't seem to comfort her and she shook her head and turned away.

"Belle," Rumple gave another look to Milah, "I'm sorry, Belle."

"I need some time alone," she turned and went up the stairs.

Milah just watched him, "Probably best to let her cool off."

He let out a curse under his breath and ran a hand through his hair.

"Rumple."

"We have work in a couple of hours, I have to get more things ready," he said and stormed out of house.

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Getting to safety and finding where Mina had gone off to had been the two main goals for Emma once she got her father back from that island. And now that she had both of those, all she had to do was wait.

She had spent two weeks mourning her friend, and days living in stress of being down here, now it was all almost over. They were going to get Mina, make sure she was safe and then leave.

Leave behind what? That's what worried her. Even Rumple seemed to feel that Hades and Persephone would find their friends eventually. And then what would happen when THEY died? Was it the asylum for them too? Was Rumple going to turn back their biological clocks every year to put off dying as long as possible?

What happened after?

The house Rumple built for them was certainly big enough. It wasn't like Downton Abbey big but there were certainly enough rooms to add on their friend and family if they needed to

"There has to be a way to just track the ship down," Emma said as she and her father walked up the stairs to the room Jonathan Harker wandered to to sleep.

"Can't you just wave your hand and make her appear?" Charming asked.

"I have to have a basic idea of where she is. The Underworld's HUGE," Emma told him.

"One of these days you're going to have to sit there and tell me the rules for how all this works."

"Yeah, you'll know when I know,"

"Emma."

Emma looked up and saw across from the closed door, Killian was standing there, like he was standing guard. And she grew a bit worried, she knew how Killian dealt with jealousy, she had seen how he and Neal treated each other in Neverland. She didn't need this, she didn't need him pulling what he did last time.

But she took a breath and she came up to him, "Hey."

He just stared at the door, "Hey."

"Curious about the husband of the baby mama?"

Killian's eyes flickered towards her, he gave a small smirk, "Maybe a little."

"Well, we'll be getting her back tonight so…."

"Yeah, I was there, I know what I have to do."

Emma couldn't imagine having to face an abusive father, not after she'd met her own and he turned out okay. She'd had some abusive foster fathers in the past, and felt like her own dad might have been one. But most of those stays were temporary and her dad had been way different from what she expected, "Are you going to be okay?"

"It's just a conversation."

"It's more than that."

Killian pulled his gaze from the door, "It's just a conversation. For now. Unless he tries to change part of that deal."

"Rumple will be there, he'll make sure that won't happen"

"Yeah, he hates deal breakers."

"we could always just take her and go."

"I'm sure he'll have a plan in place to make sure we have to listen," Killian stared back at the door when they heard Jonathan yell at someone he called 'Barbara'. "He's not right, is he?"

"He was in that room for eight years with nothing….I imagine that's enough to drive anyone crazy," Charming told him.

Killian scoffed, "So what now?"

"I guess when we get her back and have time to process…. I guess that's for all of you to figure out," Emma told him and put a hand on his arm, "But you can't do what you did in Neverland."

He gave her a sharp look, "I've changed this then."

"Okay," Emma nodded, "Good. That's all I needed to know."

She knocked a couple of times on the door and heard a muffled 'come in'. She opened the door and found Jonathan curled up on the bed. When Emma had seen him at the beach, he'd been tall. Maybe about 6 foot, with chestnut brown hair and blue eyes. She saw what Mina had seen in him.

He'd gone to his room as soon as Rumple erected this place. Emma could tell he was exhausted, he'd cried the whole way there once he found out Mina had died.

"Hey, Hi Jonathan" Emma pulled up a chair and sat by the bed, "My name is Emma Swan. I'm a friend of your wife's."

He curled up tighter, "Oh."

Emma wrapped her arms around herself, "So…um…we were able to find out where Mina is."

He sat up, "Are we going?"

"Pirates have her…she's safe, we're told but they're going to give her to us at sunset."

"Pirates?!" he stood up, "We have to go get her."

"We don't know where they are, Jonathan."

"We have to find out, don't you know what they'll do?!" he screamed in a panic, "She'll be frightened!"

"Hey, she's probably giving them more hell than they're giving her, " Charming moved around Emma and put a hand on Jonathan's shoulder, "Calm down. The deal is that she doesn't get hurt."

"Pirates lie."

"Mina went to face Dracula to save me from him, a few pirates aren't going to give her any trouble."

Jonathan jerked away, "Dracula's back?"

"He was, but-."

"I died for nothing?!"

"He's dead now."

Jonathan grabbed an empty picture frame and hurled it at the wall. Emma nearly jumped out of her seat, Charming stepped in front of her protectively, "Okay buddy, you need to sit down."

"She- did he kill her?"

"No, it's a lot more complicated than that."

"Then tell me."

Emma wasn't sure where exactly to start, "Some of it is things, she wants to tell you, I'm sure."

"I know, but I imagine there's plenty you can say."

"I don't know…."

"Please, she was still my wife. We were going to have a baby!"

Emma drew in a sharp breath, she was about to have to break his heart, "You knew?"

"Of course I knew, she just didn't know I knew but I figured it out. What happened? Is the baby safe?"

Emma took a breath, well she had some time to kill anyway. Sunset was still a few hours off, "It's a hard story."

"Were you with her this whole time?"

"I only met Mina three weeks ago."

"But you came down here to save her?" he swallowed, "What about her mother? Did she die?"

"No, it….," Emma took a breath, "Things changed after you passed."

He looked upset and it was then that Emma wondered if this was going to hurt him more mentally, "I don't…have to tell you if you're not ready."

He looked frantically, like he was well aware that something was wrong, 'I'm sorry I threw the photo."

"It's okay," Emma whispered.

He sat at the end of the bed, "Okay…okay tell me."

"Do you think you'll be okay?"

"No," he wiped a tear away, "But she's my wife even though we died…and that means something to me. I need to know."

Emma gave an unsure look to her dad but nodded, "Okay. S-some of it though."

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

The sun was starting to set and Hades was once again taken aback by how beautiful a creation it was. So many colors and so much warmth, no matter how many times he watched it, it was breathtaking.

"Do you suppose there's an afterlife for the gods?" Persephone asked.

"I don't know," Hades told her, "We weren't supposed to die, would the fates really have a place for us?"

"If we weren't supposed to die, we wouldn't," Persephone shrugged, "I like to think that somewhere maybe they're happy…or they have the chance to be. If humans have a purgatory, why not us? Perhaps we've been wrong all this time, perhaps we CAN die. Perhaps the fates just didn't tell us. Zeus had to at least guess it was possible. He was going to make Zagreus his heir. You can't have an heir if you plan to live…and we both know he'd never give up power. Perhaps he saw something coming that we didn't. Perhaps he knew his end might eventually be coming and he might face death at the hands of the cattle. Instead it was our sons that were the first to fall."

He looked back towards his wife, "I hate the humans too, you know. I despise them for taking our sons from us…but at the end of the day, I have to wonder if they do have rights in protecting themselves. They've come a lot further than you or I would have guessed. We grow stronger through their prayers and beliefs. We are their gods but we owe everything we are to them."

"They pray to us when they're down here and we grow stronger," Persephone sighed, "But not strong enough to be a threat to Zeus."

"That won't ever happen," he said and it was finally out there. He had to say it. After _everything_ Zeus and Hera had done, they were still too strong. They fell out of favor to humanity for their violence and their sick games and they still rivaled all the gods at one time. Where was the justice? "But I think….it was wrong that I let them take it out on the humans. I was wrong to let it get this far. Our sons are dead because of Zeus but I think….I think it's also my fault for allowing the progression to come to this point."

"No, it wasn't your fault," Persephone wiped an angry tear away, "It was mine, I should have known it wasn't you in our bed those nights"

"What happened to you was _never_ your fault," he was at her side in an instant.

"What happened afterwards was," Persephone looked at him, "She said our son raped that woman."

"We can always go to Elysium where she is. We can always ask what happened. These things have a habit of coming into the light if she was lying, and Mina Harker had every reason to lie to you. She-," He trailed off, and just started to know in his heart that the Harker bitch might be telling the truth. All of this had simply been a way for revenge, to take Zeus's believers and prayers away from him….and now it'd come to this. Their children were turning into the things they were fighting against and he had allowed it to get revenge on a couple long out of favor with his domination. He was the weak one. He couldn't protect Zagreus and he had failed in teaching his sons how to be decent gods. How many more children had he failed.

Was it too late to save Melinoë?

"This war against them needs to stop," Hades finally said, "We need to call back our children, we need to fix this for _their_ sakes."

Persephone, who knew better but still wanted the humans punished because she was a grieving mother and because humans shouldn't kill gods looked up sharply, "And what about _them?_ "

Hades sighed, "I think…I think we need to enter into negotiations."

"No! They-."

"Humanity is a point where they kill gods," he reminded her sharply, "It's not ideal and it's not remotely what we want but this could happen more and more. Going to war only leads to more loss on both sides, it would start with Melinoe. She would be the first one to fall, or it would be you or I when we step in to protect her. I won't lose you or anymore of our children to anyone else."

Persephone drew in a sharp breath, "So we let them go and wait until they die."

"We negotiate," he said, "And we bring our children back home before the rest of humanity figures it out."

"But they go into Monoxia," Persephone hissed, "Or we feed them to the titans. They're trouble now, they'll be more trouble when they're dead and have nothing more to lose."

"No sweetheart," he pulled her close and kissed her temple, "I think I have a better idea."

00000000000000000000000000000000000

Killian drank, he drank to hide the sounds of arguing in the study that Rumple had built for them once Belle and Rumple returned. He drank for what was going to be happening here in a few moments, he drank because…bloody hell how had his afterlife turned to this?

He heard the door open and his brother slipped out. Killian would've turned away stubbornly but he was too drunk and too tired already.

"I think the tempest has slowed," Liam said and sat down. He took a moment and then poured himself some of the rum that was left over.

"You sure he won't rip out her heart too?" 

"He seems to have learned from his past crimes," Liam said, "I was only in there to make sure nothing happened to Milah."

Killian just stared down at his drink and waited for his brother to be the one to speak first. If HE spoke first, then it meant somehow he was the one that lost and he wasn't ready to give up being angry.

"I didn't want to agree to father's terms," Liam told him, "But I did it so that we could have help in getting her out of that place. If it was up to you, you would've done-."

"But you made sure it wasn't up to me," Killian snapped.

"I never wanted to take anything from you," Liam told him, "But I did it because you showed you cared about this woman, she gave birth to your baby. I wouldn't do it for just any dalliance you had, but I did it because you and she share a connection now."

"It was for me to decide."

"He wasn't giving me time to go to you and give you that choice, what else was I supposed to do?" 

" _Something."_

Liam sighed and took another drink, "The visitors came and we lost our jobs and our home because they pissed off the gods. We are going to live in hiding for the rest of eternity. I don't want my baby brother loathing me for that long. I'm _sorry_ , but I felt like I didn't have a choice. Deep down you have to know that I tried to give you this chance-."

"With who? With HER?!" Killian muttered and took another drink, "Her husband's here, and he's harmlessly half mad. She still loves him. What chance could I possibly have now? Besides, if she cared about me, she'd have told me above world that she was pregnant."

"Perhaps she couldn't find you."

"Our mother found our father both times she was pregnant with us and she was an illiterate bar wench he took a fancy to. Mina could have found me, she just chose not to. At the end of the day, she put together what I already knew as soon as I sold Baelfire to Pan. What sort of life could an ex pirate offer a child?"

They stopped when they heard the door open, Emma stuck her head out, "It's time, we should get going."

"Okay," Liam stood up and put his hand on Killian's shoulder, "You have a very long time to work things out."

"That's what I'm afraid of," he took another drink and stood.

They came out to the living area where most everyone was gathered. Killian couldn't help but steal a glance over to Belle and Rumple to see both were standing apart looking angry at the other. Years ago, that would've made him gleeful but now he just didn't feel anything.

Must be the rum. It finally worked.

"Now the idea is to stay together," Emma said, "Right now Blackbeard just wants to talk… he says. And until we have no reason to trust him, we have to listen."

"Well, Killian and I have to listen, the rest of you are just tagalong guests."

"He might want to see us in private," Killian realized.

Emma saw the fear, "That won't happen."

"We'll demand to see Mina," Baelfire stepped in, "If things start to go sideways, then we'll be able to magic her out if we see her. Either way, she's coming home tonight."

Emma's eyes were still on Killian, "Are you sure you still want to do this?"

Killian swallowed and nodded. He just realized he wasn't drunk _enough_ and his heart was hammering in his chest so loudly he was sure Rumple was looking over at him because he could hear it.

"Let's go."

Milah stopped Killian as soon as they started to leave. She didn't say anything, but she knew everything about his dad and the chaos that followed. He saw the understanding in her eyes.

Wordlessly he wrapped his arms around her, he breathed her in, bloody hell he wished she was going too. Too many were going already and she opted to stay behind the guard those staying.

They all started moving for the door, Emma leaned over to Red, "Stay close to the Jones brothers, if something happens, I need you to protect them."

Red nodded and moved to stay closer to them.

Emma caught Rumple's eyes, "I need you with me."

"Most appreciated," Rumple muttered angrily.

"You okay to do this?"

"Better than staying here," Rumple admitted.

"Well you couldn't if you wanted to, because I need you now," Emma whispered.

Bae put his hand on her elbow, "Emma."

She looked up to see Jonathan and Alex pulling on their coats, "Wait, what's this?"

"Well…we're coming with you," Jonathan said.

"No, absolutely not."

"She's our family."

"And you just escaped from asylum prison!" Emma said, "You're wanted fugitives."

"We're all wanted fugitives!" Alex reminded her.

"And you being there will be a distraction. If she's hurt or this goes sideways, you're too close to react well. You have to stay here," Emma refused to back down, "You're her father and husband….think of how surprised she'll be when she gets back here and you're both waiting for her. …."

Alex opened his mouth to protest but stopped when Rumple shook his head, "Very well, but only because arguing is wasting time."

Charming clapped a hand on Jonathan's shoulder, "We'll get her back."

"Something will go wrong," Jonathan protested.

"Yes, something usually does," Charming agreed and then leaned in, "But we still win anyway. And you'll get her in time for nightfall. Eight years is a long time."

Jonathan blushed bright red and threw his hands over his face to hide it. Charming realized that was the wrong thing to say. He remembered this was why he didn't really hang out with men his own age, it was always awkward and he never quite got what he was supposed to say right with what most people said men talked about.

"We'llbringherback," he muttered and left with the others.

000000000000000000000000000000000

Regina held on to her father's hand as he quickly guided her through the streets. She didn't know what happened, she THOUGHT she heard her father state that the streets weren't safe for them…and Regina already had an inkling of that from Emma's reports but she couldn't remember much more about them.

Her father had been here? Over 30 years he'd been stuck in purgatory? The one hope that she'd had after she'd realized the full extent of what she'd done was that he'd finally had happiness. Gods knew that he never had it with a father like what he had, a wife like her mother and her.

"I'm not dead," she whispered to her father as they were ushered into a mansion that she supposed was his, "Daddy, we came here on other matters but I'd rather see you."

He ushered them all inside and shut the door. His eyes fell on Snow, who was holding Henry close and then on Regina, "I assume you've made peace then? Even after everything?"

A tear fell down her face, "Daddy, I'm so sorry. I learned too late what the cost of revenge was. So many people…."

He went forward to hug her. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, "It's alright, I forgave you a long time ago."

He pulled away, Regina wiped her tears away. It wasn't ladylike to cry in front of people, even her own family.

"This is my son, Henry," Regina pulled her son forward and pulled his back against her, "I adopted him when he was a baby. I…sort of share him with Snow's daughter. It's complicated."

"Oh?"

"I found love again, daddy," she cleared her throat, "With Red."

"Snow's best friend?!" he asked, "Well this sounds like an adventure, indeed. I look forward to hearing about it."

"We might not have time," Snow said, "We're down here looking for Charming and the others…have you seen them?"

He shook his head, "I know they're supposedly down here, but none have come to seek me out and I never saw where they might be."

"So, they're alive?" Snow whispered, "We lost contact, we didn't know-."

"As far as I've heard, they're alive. Some rumors I heard were that they were with the wolf's grandmother and some…pirates or some nonsense."

Regina hesitated, "What about Daniel?"

"He never came here," her father assured her, "I looked and finally….sources were made available to me that revealed he moved on to Elysium….he's safer there."

"Thank Gods," Regina sighed.

Her father hesitated, "I have to tell you something. You can't stay here for long, it's not safe."

"Why?"

The door opened, everyone jumped and turned.

"Because darling," Cora said and walked through the front door, "He's trying to keep you from your dear mother."

Regina pulled Henry behind her protectively and when she saw who was behind Cora, she was grateful she did so.

Pan entered right behind her.

"Well now, a family reunion, isn't this wonderful?" Cora asked.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000

When they were transported to the beach, Killian KNEW he hadn't drank enough. His father was smaller than what Killian remembered but he was still towered over everyone at the beach. Killian took him in and shuddered at the 6 foot tall stout man with a long combed beard and imposing nature.

He didn't realize he was shaking until he felt Emma put her hand on his, "It's okay."

Everything he'd been through because this man had sold them….

It took everything he had to put one foot in front of the other, but he managed it. He saw, when he got closer to his father on the beach that his father wore all six pistols strapped to his torso. He had his sword on his hip…he was at the ready to fight if he needed to.

"Barnabus," Liam greeted, "I'm sure you're here to speak for father.

"The captain has requested for his sons to meet with him private-."

"No," Emma said immediately

Blackbeard raised an eyebrow, "Who might you be?"

Killian felt a smirk cross his lips to hide how scared he was, "She's the captain."

Emma gave him a startled look and he shrugged in return. His father wouldn't respond to 'leader' or 'savior'. Those were terms society used and if there was anything a pirate hated, it was that.

Barnabus cleared his throat, "The terms are-."

"The terms are that you show us Mina to show she's alive and unhurt, we hear what you have to say and you let her go. That was what was agreed upon, that's what we do. Otherwise, I have a very angry Dark One that I'll unleash."

Blackbeard finally spoke, "I'll not address you." 

"We want to see Mina Harker," Killian spoke, "Now."

Blackbeard raised his hand and then dropped it. Further down the beach behind him they watched as two pirates pulled a bound, hooded figure out of the trees. They yanked her hood off. Mina flinched from the light of the setting sun. She was bound and gagged, but otherwise unhurt.

And then both men raised pistols to her head.

"I can get her," Rumpelstiltskin whispered.

"If my men think you're about to go back on the deal, they're authorized to shoot her in the head," Blackbeard's hand instinctively went on his sword, "And there's two snipers as well."

"All this seems extreme," Emma said.

"They're my sons, _captain_. The way I get to move on is making my peace with them."

"Right into the pit," Liam spat.

"Well, I wouldn't go right away," Blackbeard told him, "Now if you truly call yourselves heroes, you will honor my deal. After all, it's only talking, is it not?"

"Emma," Rumple warned, "Let me get her."

Emma looked over to Killian, who kept his gaze at his father. Looking away would show weakness, going back on deals would show weakness too. It wasn't honorable to break a deal this simple. It was running away. He never backed down from a challenge, he wouldn't start now.

"Get on with it then," Killian growled.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

 **Centuries Ago**

 _When Alice had sent word that she was pregnant, Edward Teach hadn't hesitated in claiming each of her sons as his own. He could doubt her, he could abandon her as so many other men like him had done to their women but Edward was a different sort of man. Alice was his 'wife', maybe not in the official capacity, there were plenty of wives before and after her that he hadn't legally married either. Alice was different, as far as he knew, she'd stayed loyal to him and him alone. So therefore, his or not, when she said she was pregnant from his visiting her, he took it seriously._

 _And she had given him a little girl that had died soon after she was born. Her brothers didn't know about Kira, and they never would. But the boys came along soon after and he made sure the family was well cared for. When the boys were eight and six respectively, he and Alice had arranged a deal. He would provide for her and make sure she was a wealthy woman if she gave him their boys. And she had, not because of greed but because she knew they were safest with their father. It would be far too easy for his enemies to find the boy and murder them while they were stationary._

 _He was happier when he had them, the happiest he'd ever been. Liam was a leader and Killian was a clever curious little thing who always managed to find some sort of mischief that he could get into._

 _But in those two years, things were changing. Civilization was branching out; their kind were starting to die off. Benjamin Hornigold, someone that had been a friend that he'd betrayed, had gone into pirate hunting and tracked him all over the world. John Auger and his entire crew were hanged. Men like him were being replaced by the likes of cowards like Calico Jack, whose lover Anne Bonny who had leagues of more courage and daring than he_

 _Charles Vane continued to evade capture, which was a miracle to Edward, the man was psychotic._

 _Edward Teach knew the time for piracy was coming to an end. The question was when did that happen? And how long did he continue before he retired?_

 _He watched his sons wrestle on deck as he thought about it. His boys would be safest if he found some island somewhere and settled down for them. But the call of the sea and the rush of fighting was always so strong. He had tried to settle down several times only to be called back but that was before his boys._

 _He couldn't risk their futures._

 _So, he went further and further out to sea. He sent for Alice even though he wasn't sure that the post went through._

 _But Hornigold's betrayal had done irrevocable damage. The navy grew braver. Countries allied. They saw it as him turning tail and running and set off to be the first one to finish him off._

 _The crew grumbled, none wanted to give up piracy and not many were smart enough to realize that their time was coming to an end. The only reason he thought they didn't put it to a vote was because they were still intimidated by him. He still kept them alive. He blockaded the harbor of Charleston so that his crew could get supplies and more importantly, medicine to take care of the…consequences of various dalliances._

 _And then luck turned against him, they weathered storms and ship damage which slowed them down…and then…he was called up to the ship's deck._

" _Captain," his quartermaster whispered and gave him the spyglass, "The British are on the horizon."_

 _He looked and saw…far too many, too many to beat. His heart went in his chest as he did the math. They had a few hours ahead of the British for now but that could certainly change with the state of Queen Anne's Revenge._

" _We could go south," Matthew whispered, "We know those islands, we can sail through them. The English would have to go around and that would take time...especially in the dark."_

" _And what of our chances when the Queen Anne is in this shape?"  
_

 _Matthew was quiet, "They won't take our surrender. We've spat in their faces too many times. We have to run or go down fighting."_

" _Papa!" Killian called and ran up the steps to see him._

 _Edward tried to hide his fear from his youngest and pulled him up and sat him on the bannister, "There you go, you little rascal, why aren't you down there learning your lessons?"_

" _It's boring and hot! I want to anchor and go swimming."_

" _It's always boring and hot but you have to know these things that way you can make smarter choices than I," he ruffled the boy's hair and put him back down on the deck, "Go keep your brother out of trouble."_

" _He NEVER gets in trouble," Killian pouted, "He's boring too."_

" _If you go down below, I'll tell cook to give you an extra apple tonight."_

 _Killian groaned and protested but carried himself down below deck._

" _What's to happen to them?" Edward asked as soon as Killian was out of hearing. They will be taken, they will be put in one of those…orphanages and separated. A charity will loan them to civilized rich families because sons of pirates are to be pitied. They won't be free if we fall to the hands of the English. They'll be boxed in more than most children their own age. They'll live with my name over their heads like it's something to be ashamed of. Society will turn them against me."_

" _So then what do you suggest?"_

" _Do you still have that fisherman acquaintance in the south?"_

 _"Aye."_

" _We pay him to keep the boys for a time, just until we're able to lose most of this fleet."_

" _And what if we don't make it there fast enough?"_

 _Edward hesitated and ran a hand through his hair, "We must."_

 _0000000000000000000000000000000000000_

 _"Papa, are you alright?" Liam asked out of the blue when he was walking him down to his quarters that night._

 _"I'm fine," Edward was immediately pulled out of his thoughts. They would have to anchor, it would be close but if they timed everything right, he could cut through the islands and escape. He'd come back for the boys later._

 _"Papa."_

 _"Just…. a storm's coming boy," Edward said, so he wouldn't have to lie, "And you and your brother need to stay below for when it happens."_

 _Just in case they DIDN'T make it in time._

 _"Yes papa," Liam said and Edward was thrilled that Liam didn't seem to suspect anything._

 _Killian was already asleep when they came into the cabin. Their father rested a hand on Killian's hair. He didn't worry about waking the boy. Killian could sleep through everything._

 _"Papa?" Killian asked sleepily._

 _Well maybe not. Gods, he needed a haircut._

 _"Go back to bed, boy," Papa said gently, "When the storm's over, we're going to explore new realms, how would you like that?"_

 _Kilian rubbed his eyes, "Promise?"_

 _"Promise." He tucked him in and stood._

 _Liam shifted, "Papa, what if you need help?"_

 _"I have men to do it," He told Liam and handed him his nightshirt, "The ship is strong, and the storm is hours away. You'll be asleep by then. This one isn't one you need to be in the middle of."_

 _"Yes papa."_

 _Papa rested his forehead on Liam's and sighed, this might be the last time he'd see him for a long time, "Look after your brother."_

 _00000000000000_

 _The boys were asleep when they anchored and moved them on the fishing boat. He wanted to wake them, he wanted to say his goodbyes but that would lead to panic and crying and he would fold. He couldn't change his mind, not when they were wasting precious time._

 _If he didn't return, his sons would learn a trade. It wasn't as free as pirating but it wasn't as stifling as civilization either. This would be a happy medium._

 _So, he wrote them both letters. He poured out pages upon pages and included a letter to be sent to their mother._

 _He made sure they were safe, he did everything he could as a father._

 _They made it an hour out of the islands before the British caught up with them. It was a trap, they knew the captain would go this way. Of course, he would, Hornigold more than likely told them how to get through the islands. They'd already had this place surrounded well before Edward turned the ship towards the island._

 _Bastard._

 _His crew fought bravely, though most had to know this would be their last battle. He defended them as best he could. He didn't feel the first musket shot go through him. He didn't feel the second._

 _He felt the third. He felt the fourth and the fifth…but still he fought. He was stabbed 20 times before a blow to the neck finally brought him down._

 _The last things he thought of as he was beheaded were of his sons and his happiness that they would not ever have to see him like this._

00000000000000000000

 **Present Day**

"No."

Blackbeard was pulled out of his story, he looked at his youngest son, "Killian-."

"There were no letters," Killian said, shaking, "Our mother never came. You sold us into slavery." 

"I never did that."

"The fisherman you trusted said-."

"I didn't know that he'd betrayed me like that until he arrived a year or so after I did. Blackbeard explained, "And then the news reached me about what he did. And I put him down in the ocean where no one could ever find him."

"I don't believe you!" Killian snapped, "You can…bloody well say you were a good father after all was said and done but we were the ones that went through what we did. You could be lying for all I know and it just bloody well can't be proven since you're not going to immediately pass on. Do you know what they did to us?"

"Yes," Blackbeard said, "I tracked down all the owners that I could."

"And what did you do? Have a drink?" Killian spat.

"No," Blackbeard told him calmly, "They joined the fisherman."

"I don't believe you," Killian told him and went to walk away, "All this time and you're lying to make yourself look better to us so that you can move on."

"If I was a great coward like you believe, I would not have made all this effort," Blackbeard told him as he started to leave, "Through Liam, and your former lover, through you….I pulled your woman out of the drink because it would mean I could see you and talk to you. Why would I do all this if I was only going to lie?"

Killian stopped, he looked in panic at his brother but seemed to resolve himself and looked back at his father, "Because you're a pirate, and so was I. All we do is lie and hurt those we love."

"Killian," Emma muttered and looked in a panic at Mina.

"Don't worry captain, him believing me wasn't part of the deal," Blackbeard turned and waved the pirates off. The pirates pushed Mina forward, she stumbled towards the group.

Blackbeard stopped her before she passed him, he saw everyone reach for their swords or summon magic.

"Easy," he told them, turned to Mina and took off her gag, "I do apologize about this. But I didn't know what you might do."

She watched him cautiously, "Is that everything then, captain?"

"Yes," he cut her free, "Thank you for not doing anything foolish."

"I pried the nails out of the table in case I had to use a weapon," She dropped the nails into his hand. He saw her fingernails chipped and covered with blood.

He chuckled and put the nails in his pocket, "Do they really say I swam around the ship five times before sinking?"

"They also said they beheaded you and put your head on a bowsprit, which I find FAR more likely, just not as morbidly fun to think about."

He smirked, "Farwell Ms. Harker."

Mina turned to her friends and then stopped, "I helped kill a god. Twice. I didn't know it at the time, so I'd be rubbish at telling you what the secret was."

He nodded, "And that's why you're important to my son?"

"No," Mina hesitated, "Aboveworld somewhere…you're a grandfather."

And that was all she offered to him, as she walked away to join her friends.

Blackbeard nodded to Liam who reluctantly nodded back. He turned to walk back to the rowboat they'd taken ashore, "We're headed out."

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Of all things Emma had thought about happening during this standoff, she didn't ever consider everything going right.

She had kept her eyes on the gunmen that had Mina, while she'd listened to Blackbeard's story. She hoped it was true, she wanted to believe it was true just so Killian and Liam could focus on healing now.

At least as much as they could.

And when they let Mina go, Emma started forward. Nearly two and a half weeks of nightmares and not sleeping, of coming here and being tricked, and it all led to this. She finally had her best friend, her sister back.

She ran as well as she could in the sand and wrapped her arms around her friend. Mina returned the embrace. Emma tightened it for longer than she felt was appropriate and pulled away.

"Emma," Mina wiped her own tear away, "You silly bumpkin, why did you come all the way down here just to see me?"

Emma could hear the gratitude and relief in her voice though, "Saving people above world was boring, I thought I'd take it to the next level."

Mina rested a hand on her friend's face, Emma leaned into the gesture, "Thank you."

A tear slipped down Emma's face. All these years of not being able to save everyone, she'd saved Mina to some extent, "Come on, we have a surprise waiting for you at the house."

She brought Mina to the group who voiced their happiness, greetings and hugs. Charming hung back until everyone but Killian had hugged her.

Mina met Charming's gaze, "Are you better?"

"Mostly," he told her, "It'll probably be awhile before I'm back to pre-Dracula days."

And he still came to get her out of that asylum. He risked so much to save her. They all did. But Charming was special because of the special risk both had taken to save each other.

Respect among warriors

"Thank you," she whispered and hugged him.

"We'll leave you alone for a few minutes," he whispered, "To talk to Killian."

"We have to go before Hades finds us," Mina told him.

"We can spare a few moments," Rumple told them, "I'm sure you two have a lot to say that is best not heard through four walls."

"Everyone sort of figured out who your baby's father was," Emma told her, "And then I sort of told him."

Mina nodded, as much as she wanted to be the one, she knew that that was probably impossible if they wanted to get him _here_ to do _this._

Mina took the heavy steps to see Killian, who was staring out at the water away from the view of his father's ship.

He finally turned when she drew closer. Her stomach was in knots, she didn't know exactly what she felt about Killian but she cared about him. She cared a _lot._

"Hi lass."

"Hi," she whispered and then drew a breath, "You faced your father…you did all that…for me?"

He shifted, he looked away and cleared his throat, "Aye. I did it for you."

She didn't know what else to say. Thanking him seemed too little of a gesture.

And so they stared at each other, in silence.


	6. 4b E05 - Two Weeks Ago

It hadn't sunk in for Mina that she had been saved. In the span of days, she'd been imprisoned, tortured, drowned, caught by pirates, and then freed into the care of her friends, who apparently broke into the Underworld just to save her. Information like this was just going to be something that took time, she supposed. AS she was whisked away from Blackbeard and the beach she felt that she was going to have all the time in the world to go over what had happened to her.

Or at least until Hades found them and took her back to that place.

She and Killian hadn't said anything to each other when they were left alone in the beach, they just stood there staring at each other and then slipped into an awkward stance where they tried to avoid eye contact.

Mina was dreading the conversation that was coming; No matter how angry she got or how he treated her, she'd deserved his anger. They'd had a daughter that he died not knowing about.

They went back, Mina thought their demeanors would be cold and angry but she felt Killian put his hand on the small of her back and she leaned towards him in trust.

They had saved the other, they had trusted the other with some of the secrets of their past. Even if he was furious with her, there was some sort of affection still there. It would have had to remain if he faced his father to save her.

"Did you talk?" Emma asked hopefully.

"No," Mina told her honestly.

"Now's not the time," Killian told her, "It'll have to be later. And private."

Emma looked over to Mina, who nodded her agreement.

"I have a surprise for you," Emma told her

"Oh?" Mina asked. The adrenaline was crashing, she was feeling exhausted. It was a wonder she was standing up after everything that happened. And she really wasn't feeling up for anything that would take what little energy she had left.

"It's at the house, we need to go," Emma told her.

Mina managed a nod. Her hand found Emma's for reassurance. Emma squeezed back and gave her a smile, "Rumple made you all a farm It's really nice, it's quiet. I think you're going to be happy there."

Emma was just a little too happy for Emma, what was going on?

"Is Lizzie here?" she finally asked.

"No."

"She's in England?" Mina asked as they gathered, "Is my mother alright?"

"We haven't taken her," Emma looked guilty, "We were worried Dracula might come back."

Mina's head turned sharply in Emma's direction, "What?!"

Emma didn't have time to reply before the purple smoke enveloped them and took them to a house that was bigger than Mina thought it might be for her and Killian and maybe his brother.

There was a barn, there were animals and tilled land in the distance. Mina wasn't sure she or Killian were going to be the farmer and the farmer's wife sort but it looked like they had lots of land, and plenty to do to pass eternity. Or until Hades and Persephone forgave them. Eternity seemed a lot more likely.

"What if Hades finds us?" Mina looked to Rumple and Emma.

"It's cloaked," Rumple told her, "We're safe here for now."

'For now' didn't feel very reassuring, but she'd take what she could get.

Mina heard yelling from inside the house.

The porch door opened.

Mina felt Killian remove his hand from her back

And Jonathan came through the door.

Mina felt her stomach both drop and tighten as she took in the face of the husband she hadn't seen in eight years. Her hand went to Emma's for support because for a second she thought she might collapse. It was Jonathan! The husband she never got to say goodbye to, because she was turning to a vampire and weak and could do nothing when she watched him die alone.

Bloody hell, he was still so handsome. Mina had forgotten so much about his face. She had forgotten just how lopsided his mouth was when he gave that close mouthed smile. She forgot about his dimples and his freckles, how could she forget about all that?

Because every time she remembered him, she remembered THAT night.

An ugly sob she felt all the way down in her gut left her as she stared at Jonathan.

"Hi," he whispered and she saw that he was crying.

"Hi," Mina whispered back but she wasn't sure it was audible as she stood there crying too.

He came down the stairs and hesitated, his hands went into his pockets and he shuffled a bit. During their life together, he'd been very private. He was affectionate but going to embrace his wife in front of a lot of people was something he would at least by shy about.

But that was over eight years ago.

Mina closed the distance between them, her arms wrapped around his neck. She felt him embrace her so tightly she could hardly breathe. She didn't care, covered his face with kisses and she buried her face in his chest, he rested his mouth on the top of her head and breathed in her scent.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too."

She heard the door open again, Mina felt Jonathan turn both of them so she could see the porch.

It was her father.

"Papa?" she whispered, she hadn't seen him in so long, did he really look that old when he'd died?

He also pulled her into a crushing embrace. She had so many questions, so many accusations especially directed at him for the things he never told her but that didn't matter for now because for now they were all reunited and she was home.

0000000000000000000000000000000

The living room was warm and homely. The walls were bare, the furniture looked used and broken in, the fireplace took up a good portion of the north wall, which would always have firewood next to it. The kitchen would always be filled with bread and meat, the well would always produce water.

It was a comfortable eternity at least.

"We should eat," Rumple decided as they all went inside, "And catch up. A lot's happened since-."

Mina picked up on the hesitation, "Since I died?"

Emma averted her gaze, "Mina don't."

What was the fuss? It was true, "Well I did. I was the last thing holding Dracula to the earth and so I took my life and now I'm here. Is Lizzie at least safe?"

Emma nodded, "You should...you should tell them first about her."

Mina drew in a sharp breath at Emma's urging and looked to her husband and father. Having a child out of wedlock wasn't remotely the most scandalous thing she'd done but they didn't enough know THAT much yet.

"Lizzie…I um…I had a baby less than a year ago, with Mr. Jones here. I named her after mum. I died, protecting her and all of them against Dracula and I'm here now and that's basically it."

Jonathan drew in a sharp breath, Alex studied the father of his granddaughter with an inscrutable gaze.

"What about…what about our baby?" Jonathan asked.

A great shudder ran through Mina. She didn't expect Jonathan to have known she was pregnant, she hadn't told him before he died. But he had such a long stay down in the asylum, that she wouldn't put it past Hades or Jekyll to tell him just to hurt him.

"He didn't survive the journey back home," Mina told him after a few minutes of silence.

A tear slipped down Jonathan's face, "I thought…maybe you'd at least have had our baby as a comfort."

Mina toyed with her sleeve, "I also hunted and killed the sort of things that ruined our family."

"Well I knew that much," Jonathan admitted.

Her father shuddered, "I never wanted that option for you

"Well, turns out, it was an option," Mina said angrily. They should have known _something_ at least, that way they could have had some idea what had happened when he disappeared.

"Let's get something to eat," Rumpelstiltskin and summoned meat pies around the dining room table, "A lot happened in the past two weeks, we might as well eat while we talk."

"I'm not sure I'm hungry," Mina admitted as the smell of the food reached her nose.

"You should eat anyway," Alex told her, "They intentionally fed you less than they should at Monaxia so you'd be weaker."

"Didn't work, with the hell we rose," Charming admitted.

Mina smirked despite herself and gave a conspirator wink to Charming.

"Well very well," Mina picked up a fork, everyone was going to the dining table, she didn't have much choice, "Lets get this out of the way. Tell me what happened and tell me about my daughter."

00000000000000000000000000000

 **2 Weeks Ago**

 **Day 1**

Emma was glad that her family all lived in the same house. She needed her own place, she knew that, but for the night after Mina's funeral, and Dracula's death, she wanted them all nearby at least for the night. She had lay there in darkness and heard her father snoring, her son snoring...and drew comfort when both babies woke up crying.

Emma wished she could spend the day with them at home, but there was work to be done. Dracula had burned down Granny's diner, he had killed others to drink, he had nearly burned down the hospital, there were town people to take account of. There would have to be a census to make sure there weren't bodies they didn't know about. There were fears to comfort. Dracula and Dark had done a number on the town and they hadn't really had time to recover between them. IT was Emma's job as a savior and her family's jobs as rulers to put everyone's mind at peace. Dracula was dead.

For now at least.

What if there were other women he'd turned that they didn't know about? What if he came back?

Emma couldn't afford to think like that right now. If he DID come back, it would take years, and they'd be ready for him.

The night was riddled with nightmares. Emma kept seeing Mina die over and over again while they were standing on a beach.

When she saw Dracula rip apart Henry, she shot out of bed and went downstairs for breakfast. She was exhausted but how was she going to sleep after THAT?!

Her family was already awake when she stumbled down the stairs pulling on her sweater. Henry was having breakfast, her parent had a baby each that they were trying to feed. Baby Robert was having a far easier time of it than Lizzie was. Her dad was covered in food.

"Morning," Emma ruffled her son's hair. She playfully took a sip of his hot chocolate and hugged him close, "Did you sleep?"

"Not really," he admitted.

"You want to come with us or do you want to stay home and sleep?"

"I want to come with all of you."

"Okay," Emma hugged him closer, "You going to be okay?"

"Yeah, just later."

"I get it, we'll get some ice cream for lunch, okay?"

"That's not nutritional," her mother scolded.

"It's got milk," Emma argued. Henry wouldn't die from THAT, and she needed a way for her son to start pulling himself together.

After all, now not only was he buried alive, but now he had to deal with the fact he shot a vampire and helped kill her.

There was a knock on the door. Charming lifted Lizzie into his arms and went to answer, "Hi Rumple, Neal."

"Hello Charming," Rumpelstiltskin said and swept in, he beamed at a tired looking Lizzie, "Hello Princess, how are you today?"

"She's throwing her food," Charming said tiredly.

"She's just willful," Rumpelstiltskin took his great granddaughter out of Charming's arms and kissed her cheek, "She misses her mother"

The room was plunged into silence. Emma swallowed her grief to the back of her throat and pulled her hair back, "Are you sure you don't mind taking them?"

"Not in the least," he put Lizzie in the stroller.

Months ago, the family might have been a lot warier about Rumplefreakingstiltskin babysitting their son, but after he saved Robert from Mr. Dark things had taken a sharp turn. He was their son's protector now, and while things were still awkward he was a lot warming at the possibility of being family to them.

Neal came up to Emma, "Hey."

"Hi," Emma shoved her hands in her pockets and watched him, "So…"

"Yeah," he scratched the back of his head.

Yesterday Emma had taken his hand and basically told him she wanted to try again, and she did, but today she was just so tired, and she didn't want to have to think any more than she already was.

"We'll talk," Emma promised him, "we'll talk later, just not today."

"No, I know….," he nodded, "There's a lot to do in the next few days."

"I have to calm a town down."

"I have to get Archie to volunteer to work part time in helping the lost boys as well as his full-time job."

"The fairies are almost done rebuilding Granny's, and we should be there."

"I have to FIND a place to house the lost boys first, I guess."

"Yeah," Emma cleared her throat.

"Yeah."

"I'll help you take Lizzie and Robert's bags to the car?" 

"Sure."

Emma grabbed one, he grabbed the other, "Do you think your dad's going to be able to handle both these babies?"

Neal cackled at whatever mental image went on in his head, "I hope so."

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000

When Regina woke up in the morning, Red wasn't in bed, just like she hadn't been for the last couple of days. The bed HAD been slept in, they'd gone to bed together, but she wasn't there NOW. Regina found Red's pajamas dropped on the floor, which annoyed Regina. She'd have to magic her her own closet now that she was living with her.

Regina dressed and got ready for the day, she knew the Charming's would be organizing an event or something to ease fears and comfort those who were scared and those that had suffered losses. Regina wasn't required to be there which was fine with her. She wasn't good at THAT part of the job.

She was good at the practical part, she was good at rebuilding the town her own way. The diner needed to be rebuilt, the inn suffered damage, and Regina knew the spells that would restore them.

She at least wanted to give Red her home and job back. She didn't trust the fairies to do it right.

Regina stopped at the cemetery where she knew she'd find Red, they'd chosen a nice plot for her grandmother, it had a nice view, it was quiet, but overlooked the town, it was perfect for her.

The grave was still fresh, it was covered with flowers and gifts that Granny would never use. Red stood at the foot of it, her hands jammed in her coat pockets.

Regina came to stand a few feet behind her, "I have breakfast that's ready to be made."

"I'm not hungry."

"You have to eat, you haven't eaten since she passed."

"I haven't eaten since I killed Dracula," Red told her.

"You did what you had to do, Red," Regina told her, "Your grandmother would understand, she wielded a crossbow for god's sakes, she put plenty down herself."

"She did it so I wouldn't have to," Red told her, "And now she's dead, killed by a bastard who burned her alive. And I stooped to what he did, I took vengeance."

"What you did was justice."

"It was _never_ about justice," Red snarled, "I _killed_ him to get revenge. I'm no better than my mother now."

"You're not your mother, you're not me," Regina told her and went to stand closer, "This was a war, that we fought. It was an execution. You did nothing different than you would have in the war against me. He would have come back if you hadn't killed him, he never would have stopped coming until you and Rumple put a stop to it. You did the right thing, and if you get a spot on your heart for it, then our soul moral system…whatever it is is wrong."

Red sobbed, "I don't want _killing_ to become easier."

Regina came forward and wrapped her arms around Red from behind, "It's alright. You still have your morals, Red. You'll never be like us."

She'd build the town later, she'd correct whatever the fairies messed up. Right now she needed Red to recover, she needed at least to get her to eat something.

0000000000000000000000000

 **Day 3**

The diner was built, the hospital no longer smelled like gasoline, the people were comforted, Archie was booked for the next year.

Nothing still felt done.

Rumple lay in bed staring at the ceiling as Belle showered in their bathroom. The Charmings had removed the rest of their stuff after their stay yesterday, and now everything was too quiet.

He almost missed them eating his food and using up all his hot water.

He turned on his side and looked out the window. So, what happened now? Did he even bother trying to find a portal to send Lizzie back to her grandmother? Emma had agreed they would once he found a solution but she was already getting attached. He worried about his chances once it was complete and he could get to the world without color.

Was he going to have to steal a newborn to get her back to her rightful place per her mother's wishes? Was he going to have to resort to _that?_

He cursed and sat up, he pulled the drawer open and stared at the small jewelry box.

Rumple didn't want to go back to the man that stole babies just to do the right thing. He was doing his best not to cross lines since he came back from the dead, but Emma was going to make it really tempting to go back to _him._

The bathroom door opened, Rumple shoved the jewelry box in the drawer and shut it before Belle could see and ask questions.

"Hey," Belle walked over and wrapped her arms around him.

"Hey," he pulled her close.

"What are you doing today?"

He shrugged, "I think I'll take it easy today."

"I think I'll go back to work, it's high time I open up the library again."

He nodded, "I'll stop in for lunch."

"Good," she kissed him, "I'm thinking hamburgers."

"We'll visit," he told her. They were still working out the kinks at the diner with Red's running the place now, perhaps she'd be happy to see an ally.

Belle stroked his hair, "Any nightmares?"

"Just one," he promised, "I saw her again."

Belle frowned, "They're just dreams, right?"

"Yeah, foresight's different than what I'm seeing, it's just nightmares."

She wasn't his by blood, but he still thought of Mina as his family. He'd never get to know his granddaughter. The least he could do was respect her last wishes.

Belle was going to start work, he was going to shut his down for the day, catch up on some reading.

Time to refresh on portals.

000000000000000000000000000000000000

 **Day 7**

Emma and Neal waited a week to set time aside to talk. He had the thing she was doing with being the sheriff, he had his new little mission set aside for taking care of the Lost Boys, and between all that, Henry was going to three different houses to sleep.

It had been Emma's pitch to reduce it to two. She just called Neal up and when they were discussing how tired Henry was, Emma just came out with it. She hadn't even planned to ask him that, it just happened. Frankly, she was exhausted too, with her and Henry's nightmares keeping her up, what sleep she did try to get was also hampered by both babies plotting together to start crying once the other settled down. Emma knew that in order to start moving forward with Neal, they needed their own place.

And for that to happen, they had to _talk._

Emma found a nice blue house with four rooms and three bathrooms. There was also two dens, Emma thought maybe they could turn one into another guest room if they had both Emma's parents and Neal's father staying over.

She was making plans, and that scared and thrilled her.

"What happened to the last tenants?" Neal asked as he wandered from the first den to the dining room."

"Dunno, maybe it was one of those empty houses for some reason. You'd think every house would have an occupant."

"Well, there are those cursed families and real families that like…combined to all be together romantically and familial wise, maybe this belonged to them."

"No, I asked your dad, he said this was always vacant."

He turned and gave half a smile, "You're making plans with my dad before me?"

"Had it inspected too," Emma leaned on the frame, "MAYBE the curse left it here so the savior and her boyfriend could have it."

His smile fell a little bit, "IS that what we are?"

"I don't know," Emma crossed her arms and looked down a little bit, "This is hard for me, you know…to trust you after what you did."

He tilted his head, "I know I can't ever make up for what I did. But…haven't I proven time and time again that I've changed? That I wouldn't leave you again? With Regina when she was evil, and Pan, and Tamara, Dark and Dracula...when we were separated and you had your cursed memories, I worked day and night to get back to you."

"Yes," Emma admitted, "I know. But there's always something in the back of my mind that acts like it isn't enough, it tells me that you're just going to betray me again."

He came forward and took her hands, "I will never willingly abandon you again."

"You didn't have to the _first_ time," she told him.

"I thought- August let me think...he let me think that I wasn't worthy of you, that I was just going to get in the way of your destiny, and your destiny was more important than me. I was stupid, I hate myself for it every day. I regret what I did...I never thought he'd set you up, I never knew he'd send you to prison. I know it doesn't excuse my part on it and I'm not making excuses for myself...but I never thought it'd be this."

"The abandoning was enough."

"If I could do it over again, I would." 

"But we can't," she sighed.

"The only thing I can do…is make it up to you and Henry every day until one day you trust that I'm not going to just leave."

"And what happens if you get tired of proving that and leave again?" Emma demanded, "What happens if my weakness and my issues are too much for you to handle?"

"I will never give up on you. I've tried living without you, and forgetting you, and you know what? It sucked. I hated myself for leaving you like that. If we make a go of it, if we try again, I promise that there's nothing you can do that will make me abandon you. Because no matter what you think of yourself, you're worth it."

Emma drew in a sharp breath as he finished and realized she was tearing up. She cleared her throat, "Do you want the house?"

"Yeah."

Emma hesitated, "I want to adopt Lizzie."

He didn't give away what he was thinking, "Do you think that's wise?"

"I promised Mina that I would keep her safe, this is what'll do it. If Dracula comes back, he'll try to ruin her life. We can't let that happen again."

"What about her grandmother?"

Emma bit the inside of her cheek, "Working on that."

"It'll put you against my dad."

"I"ve been against him before, lots of times. I'm more worried it'll put you in the middle."

"I'll do whatever's best for the kid," he told her, "Right now she's safe here but we do need to let Mina's mother know…just like you'd want to be notified if something happened to Henry."

"Maybe we can bring her over, she can live here," Emma brightened at the thought, "Wait, she has like a thousand brothers."

"We'll figure something out," he told her, "Later when the portal's built."

Emma nodded and wrapped her arms around herself, "So do you want the house?"

"Of course."

Emma smiled, beamed almost, and took out the phone to call Rumple, "Mr. Gold? It's Emma, we'll take it."

000000000000000

Rumple waited a week before he put the jewelry box in his pocket and went to find Belle. Things settled down tremendously in the last few days, and Rumple had given himself time to sit down and reflect on the things he really valued before he took the next steps.

Emma had taken the house, she was with Neal, and they were raising Henry. It would work out. They'd have a long healing journey but he felt that maybe this time they were together for good. He hoped.

Just had to think about a way to send the baby back to her grandmother and then he could close the portal and they would be forever safe. He hoped.

He reached the library at the time it opened. No one would be in there except Belle. When school let out and people got off work, then they journeyed in there, more out of curiosity and boredom than anything else.

He found Belle standing at her book cart, putting books away. He took a minute to watch her, she was so beautiful. When it was a time of peace, she positively radiated.

She turned and smiled when she saw him, "I knew it was you as soon as I heard the door open."

"Did you?"

"You always come in at the exact same time."

He came forward and kissed her, he took her hands in his, and rested his forehead against hers.

"It's too early for lunch," she told him.

"I had a big breakfast," he squeezed her hands.

"I know, I was there."

He swallowed nervously and brushed her hair back, "I love you so much."

"I love you too," she tilted her head, "What's wrong?"

"These past few days, I've really been reevaluating everything," he told her, "I've been thinking about the man I could be….and the man that you want me to be. "

"Yeah?"

"I don't….," he struggled to find the words, "I don't think I could ever be fully what you want me to be. I'll never fully return to that good man I'm not even sure I was before the Dark One"

"That's not true, Rumple."

"Belle, I burned a castle down and stabbed someone, lets not pretend that didn't happen. I was saving my son but people died because of me."

"I suppose that's true…"

"Anyway," he readjusted his tie and cleared his throat, "But that doesn't mean, I won't try, every day to do my best and be the man we both want me to be. I'll make missteps I'm sure, because 300 years is a long time to change habits now…I just…I want to be a better man, a better father, grandfather…friend….and I want you by my side with me. I love you Belle, I truly do. Everything we've gone through just multiplies what I feel for you. I don't ever want to be separated from you again. I think after everything that's happened, I'd like to take the next step with you. I think it's time for new beginnings."

"Rumple….," she blinked, "Are you-?"

He got on his knee and opened the jewelry box, "Will you marry me?"

She stood there stunned, he saw it sink into her eyes as she realized he was proposing. A happy smile broke on her face and she nodded, "Yes, yes, I'll marry you."

He put the ring on the left ring finger of her hand and stood up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

The library closed early that day.

0000000000000000000000000000000000

When Henry got off school, he got a text from his bio mom telling him to meet at an address that he didn't know that well. But Storybrooke was pretty easy to navigate around and he found the blue house in 15 minutes.

He walked up the stairs and found the door open. It was empty with the exception of a picnic blanket laid out.

"Mom?" he called out.

Emma came downstairs, "Henry, you're late."

"I didn't know this street," he looked around, "What is this place?"

"Well," Emma shifted back and forth, "If everything goes right, your dad and I'd like to make this our home."

His eyes grew, he loved the apartment with his grandparents, it made him happy to know he had more family than he knew what to do with close by…but it was getting crowded.

And with his dad back with his mom (which made him even more happy) well….

"What about grandma and grandpa?"

"Well, they'll visit," Emma ruffled his hair, "Probably a lot…probably every day….but we'll have our own home, just the four of us."

"Four?"

His mom frowned as she realized her mistake and sighed, "Yeah um…we should talk about that."

Emma went to sit on the steps that led up to the second floor, "I'm making plans to….adopt Lizzie I talked it over with your dad and he's behind me if he feels it's best for the baby and I think it is."

"Why?"

"Well she'll be safer than the World Without Color….and she'll be able to vote and get a good education if she wanted. "

Henry sensed a 'but' coming around the corner and waited for his mom to continue.

"But she has a grandmother in the World Without Color," Emma told him, "And she might go to Mrs. Murray."

"What if she does?"

His mom's face looked sad for a moment but she tried to smile, "Then we'll visit a lot, okay? We'll work something out."

"She might not want the baby," he offered.

"I think she would," Emma told him, "But she could be dead, or we might not be able to find her. Or it could just be too dangerous and she'll be safer here."

"It sounds like you made your decision already."

"Mostly," Emma looked him in the eyes, "But moving in with your dad to a new house, and adopting a sister for you, it's a lot of change, Henry. It affects you too, and you're still a kid, I want you to be a kid but you also are old enough to have input in this. I don't want you hurt any more than you already are. Is this something you would like?"

He wasn't sure how he felt about getting a sister yet, and it might end bad, so he wasn't going to have hopes about that just yet. But his parents being together is something he wanted since he found out the truth about his dad.

"Yeah," he smiled, "I'm okay with it."

Emma nodded and pulled him close, "Thank you, Henry."

00000000000000000000000000000000

And so that night they invited Emma's parents over to see the new house they'd chosen for their little family and sat on a picnic blanket and had dinner Snow had cooked. There were no emergencies, no interruptions and no threats looming. For the first time in a long time, Emma felt like they were a healing family again.

000000000000000000000000000000000

 **Day 8**

Red's cemetery visits stopped when the diner was remade. She had inherited the inn and the diner from her grandmother that left her busy at all hours of the day, even when she was off shift, she was going back and forth to make sure everything was going smoothly.

While Regina never doubted that Red would take her grandmother's job seriously, she never expected Red to just be so…occupied.

Red's first day off had been yesterday, and she'd been in the diner anyway all morning, doing owner things, but Regina had insisted she take the evening off to spend a romantic night evening and night together. Red wallowed a bit but came around and they had a very enjoyable evening together.

Regina left her alarm off so both could get some much-needed sleep.

So, when the phone next to her bed started ringing, Regina cursed and grabbed it before it could wake Red, "Hello?"

"It's Rumple."

"It's too early in the morning and I loathe you."

"I just wanted you to know that I proposed to Belle."

"Congratulations, this couldn't wait?"

"There's a lot to plan for in a short amount of time. Guest list seems the best to get out of the way. You're invited just so you know."

"And this won't bother the bride that I imprisoned for 32 years?"

"On the contrary, it was her idea."

Regina suspected a trap and pulled the covers away from her head, "Why?"

"To show forgiveness. She's big on that, dearie, you should know it's the Enchanted Forest trend"

"Ah," Regina sighed, "And what do YOU think?"

"I think….you and I are pariahs. I doubt there will be many weddings we get invited to."

"Pity invites always make me feel good." Regina glared at the wall, "Who else got invited?"

"The Charming family, that one dwarf that Belle likes and Belle would like to invite Red."

"They'll all be sappy."

"They're your family now, as much as mine. They're the reason you're alive, you better get used to being around them for all sorts of functions."

Regina sighed, "Well I guess Red will want to go. Promise me you won't let me feel left out."

"I imagine both Snow and Red won't let that happen."

Regina decided to speak before she could overthink it, "Fine, I'll go."

"EXCELLENT!" he practically shouted, "I'll send you the date and time when we've settled, dear. Just don't out-dress the bride, that's embarrassing for everyone."

Regina wondered what she was getting herself into before she hung up the phone and turned to Red to let her know the knows.

The side of the bed was empty and Regina already knew without having to call where she probably was.

00000000000000000000000000000000000

 **Day 10**

The day of his father's wedding, Neal hadn't slept much the night before. First Henry had had nightmares, then Emma did. When he tried to comfort Emma, and she asked him to help her forget watching Mina Harker die over and over, he had tried to oblige her. She wanted it and so did he but then Lizzie started crying and Emma brought her to bed when she shouldn't stop.

He supposed this was the part of fatherhood most men bitched about. He didn't mind it so much. He was surprised how much he valued it but he also valued sleep. He had a family now and a job that was coming along very slowly, but they were making headway at last. They hoped to have a house for the Lost Boys repaired and running by the end of the month. He had employees he was interviewing…They could help these Lost Boys, they could find homes for them.

He looked around their room of the new house. They'd moved things in the past couple of days. It hadn't taken a lot of time; Emma packed light and Neal was still using his dad's house for storage of things they hadn't found a place for yet. He just might keep it there. He had an extensive record collection, he didn't want a curious son and an even curious toddler getting into it.

The babbling of a little 6-month-old drew his attention and he turned to see the baby sitting up, he gave her a warm smile and lifted her off the bed. Emma needed her sleep, if the baby woke her, she'd want to take care of her and be up before she was ready.

He was worried about how Emma was taking to the baby. He understood where both points were coming from. He knew Emma's want to make the baby safe and he totally understood his dad's wish to reunite a family. They'd all been ripped away from loved ones, and he knew Emma understood that too.

Neal admittedly was a little frustrated that Emma had made this decision without him, and he also believed that she was taking care of this kid for two reasons. While she may love the baby, and want to actually raise it; Neal also worried that Emma's reasons were because she was trying to make up for where she felt she failed Henry and because she had not saved Lizzie's mother.

He wasn't stupid enough to bring that up though, not yet. She was so tired, and accusing her of feeling like a failure wasn't something he wanted her to consider about herself. IF she DIDN'T feel that way, and he awakened that idea, she might consider it. It might eat her alive.

And he also didn't bring it up because Emma was happy. She was taking steps forward and making a go of everything. He just worried that she might end up overwhelming herself.

But what did he know? Emma was being a mom to two kids, moving into a new house, and rekindling their relationship. He, on the other hand, was being a dad to two kids, moving into a new house, rekindling their relationship AND trying to start a house meant to help the Lost Boys. He knew a bit about being overwhelmed.

He took the baby to the kitchen and put her in the high chair (His father had narrowed his eyes when he saw that chair upon visiting the house). Neal sang what he could remember of a 300-year-old song to her as he took a banana out and cut it up for Lizzie.

"Okay Liz, we're starting you out simple," he sat across from her, "But I promise you, by this time next week, we'll all be going out for hamburgers and beer."

He was feeding her when his dad came in, dressed already in the wedding suit he'd chosen for himself, "Finally, someone's up!"

Neal narrowed his eyes, "The ceremony's not until ten!"

"I wanted to make sure everything fit well."

"How long have you worn it?"

"THAT hardly matters!" Rumple fidgeted, "How do I look?"

"Fine, which was how you looked the last three times you asked me how you looked wearing that."

"I just want it to go perfectly."

"Well, who can promise that?" Neal leaned forward to a flailing Lizzie, "Just as long as there's cake, everyone's happy, right Lizzie?"

Lizzie responded with a giggle and a slap on the nose.

Rumple smirked, "You used to prefer throwing your food at us."

"Well, you always tried to make me eat peaches."

"They were healthy, and they grew everywhere so we didn't have to pay for them….and your mother loved them."

Neal bristled, "I don't feel comfortable with you talking about her. Especially on your wedding day."

Rumple hesitated, "Would it make you feel better if I told you I hated myself when it sunk in what I did."

"Not really," Neal admitted.

"It doesn't bring her back, does it?" Rumple admitted.

"You were going to run off with Regina's mom, you…did what you did to mom, you raised Alexander Murray for five years…is there anyone you're not connected with?"

"Well I'm not remotely connected to Sidney Glass NOR Hansel and Gretel."

"Never mind."

Rumple looked in the mirror, "The tie is crooked."

"The tie is fine."

"She'll notice."

"She'll also notice the paper bag I gave you to breathe into if you don't calm down." Neal went to stand in front of him, "Okay, it is a little crooked."

He wiped banana mush on his pants and went to adjust his dad's tie.

"You know, me…dating Cora Mills, and me killing your mother…. it's not on the same page as me raising a baby that nearly died from neglect. Alex is different."

Neal hesitated, "Yeah, I know. It's just something I'd have liked to been told, I guess. Anyone would like to hear that for five years they had a brother that grew into a healthy adult and DIDN'T get swept up in the curse."

"I didn't know it would bother you this much, Bae. And it was only a few years that I nursed him back to health. It's not different from what I usually did. Sometimes I cared for babies for months."

"They didn't think of you as a father either."

"I didn't know this would hurt you. We never had time to talk about it, it wasn't like I was hiding him from you."

"It doesn't bother me that you raised a baby, like I said, I'd just…I'd have liked to know."

Rumple studied him, "Okay. There aren't any other siblings, if you're curious."

"Okay."

Moments passed before Rumple spoke again, "You know…. you haven't exactly opened up to me about your past either."

"I haven't even faced most of what happened to me in Neverland."

"I don't want you to feel forced to tell me anything, I'm just saying that you don't divulge your past either."

Neal was quiet as he fed Lizzie, it felt like an eternity before he summoned the courarage to speak again, "When I escaped Neverland, I went into the system, like Emma. My foster dad was a criminal. He stole cars, stole ID's, forged documents. He taught me everything I knew. Treated me like I was an adult and let me do what I wanted."

"What happened to him?"

"Cops found out about him when he tripped a silent alarm. I ran away to avoid getting thrown in jail too. His lessons taught me how to live on the streets. And that's how I met Emma."

His father's face was impassive, Neal wanted to know what he was thinking but he wasn't giving it away, "So, he was a father then?"

"Nah, he wasn't much of a dad. But I cared about him. I hated having to leave him behind."

"What happened?"

"Oh, he escaped, he was something of a magician. We met up once after, but he told me it was too dangerous. He left me the Volkswagen though, the one that Emma broke into, so really I owe him for meeting her."

"We should find him, then."

"Nah, probably best not to bring him around the kids. I mean, he's not much of a role model and I don't want him teaching the lost boys more things they don't need to know."

"I see."

Liz gave a scream from her spot signifying she was done. He went to pick her up and kissed her cheek.

"You're a good father," Rumple told him.

"I'm learning at least."

"It's natural for you."

Neal felt himself beam a bit with pride and touched Lizzie's hand gently. Her finger closed on his thumb and she tried to shove his thumb in her mouth.

"I'm going to have to fight with Emma to get her to her grandmothers aren't I?"

"Yeah," Neal admitted, "But she's willing to compromise."

"Compromise?" Rumple scoffed.

"Let's just…get the portal open and find her mother before anything else happens," Neal fidgeted with the tie again, "And before that, let's get you married."

Rumple stopped and looked in the mirror, "It's crooked again!"

000000000000000000000000000000

Charming should have known that he read the invitation wrong the minute he pulled into the Gold house and saw that there was only one car in the driveway, Red's.

They were too early. By two hours.

Charming wanted to turn the car around and go home to watch TV until it was time, but Snow insisted they stay since they were already there. He pulled in behind Red and took baby Robert from his car seat. Careful to support him, Charming put his hand on the small of his wife's back as they walked up the stairs.

Red opened it before they could knock, "Good, you're here."

"By two hour-."

"We have a huge problem," Red interrupted.

 _Please don't say Gold went evil, please don't say Gold went evil._

"Belle's father isn't coming."

Charming didn't even know he was invited. The last he knew; her father had tried to effectively mind wipe her forever by sending her under the town line in a mine cart. It was horrific to think about and Charming could never see Maurice in the animated movie the same way again.

"I thought they weren't on speaking terms."

"They aren't," Red whispered, "But she still wanted him to come and she thought he was at least up for it…until he called her this morning and said he wouldn't be attending."

"Poor girl," Snow whispered.

Somewhere in the recesses of the house, they heard Belle sobbing and pleading with her father. It was a one-sided conversation, so Charming assumed they were on the phone.

"He's going to ruin her wedding," Red whispered, "She wanted him to walk her down the aisle.'

Charming glanced at his wife, he tried not to think about how his own wedding went. Regina had ruined everything and it had led to months of Snow being so terrified she couldn't sleep at night.

"Leave it to us," Charming said, "Where is she?"

000000000000000000000000

Belle didn't really expect her father to come, but she was willing to extend an olive branch on what should be one of the biggest days of her life. When he hadn't given a yes or no, she had had SOME hope that he might be willing to accept her forgiveness and come.

But then on today of all days, he'd refused. She'd pleaded, she argued, but he refused to come and see his daughter marry the monster that had taken her away, kept her away, and put her in danger at every turn.

She shouldn't cry, ladies held their emotions in. She would look terrible for her wedding day. Rumple would be furious, he might want to lash out.

Maybe Rumple was right in that it had been a bad idea. But she'd had to try.

She was frantically wiping her eyes when the Charmings came in. She didn't want them to see her like this, but she just couldn't stop. Snow and Charming and Red sat with her for half an hour silently and when she was finally done, Snow took her hand, "You deserve better than him."

"He's still my father."

"Perhaps one day he'll come around. It'll be a long road but he can't hold this against ou forever."

"You don't know my father," Belle wrapped her arms around her waist, "I wanted him to walk me down the aisle. Its what fathers are supposed to do and he won't even give me THAT."

"I know," Snow brushed her hair back comfortingly.

A moment passed before Charming spoke up, "I'll do it."

Belle looked up, "What?"

"If you need someone to walk you down the aisle, I'll do it."

Belle tried to process it, "Really?"

"I mean, I'm _A_ father...it's not what you really wanted, but it's something…"

Belle rubbed at her face, "Thank you."

It was actually sort of better to have Charming there. She wouldn't realize it until later but the fact that her friend was standing in for her father, who had tried taking away her agency, was relieving.

"Now," Snow went to sit in front of her, "Let's do something about your face."

Belle took a handkerchief and wiped away the ruined makeup, "I'm going to be late."

"The bride makes the decision of what time the wedding really starts," Red told her, "Snow made us wait for hers."

"I was on time for my real wedding," Snow told her, "The other one was just for the public."

Belle blinked, "You had two weddings?"

"We have time, I'll tell you."

"Okay."

And you are probably the luckiest bride in the world because Ruby's makeup choices are very very vast," Snow muttered.

0000000000000000000000000

It was raining, so Belle and Rumple were marrying in their house. It wasn't so much a walk down the aisle as it was a walk down the stairs. The house was clean, the living room was cleared of furniture and chairs were all set up for their friends. Belle saw the string quartet playing the wedding march in the corner. How did Rumple get this arranged in so short of a time?

Belle had chosen a simple design for her wedding dress. It was silk, she'd designed it to look similar to Julie Andrews wedding dress from Sound of Music. The only thing it lacked was the long veil and long train. Belle had decided against a veil, but instead let her hair fall down her back. Snow and Red wove pearls through her hair that matched her dress. The skirt went down to her knees to allow her mobility. Belle had worn enough long dresses to last a lifetime when she was a princess.

Rumpelstiltskin had foregone a tuxedo and chose to wear a suit she hadn't seen before, with a black decorative scarf draped across his shoulders. When his eyes fell on her, she forgot about her father and the things that had happened that led them up to this point. When they locked out, she felt like the most beautiful desirable person in the room.

Charming led her to her fiancé, and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you so much," she whispered.

"Congratulations," he whispered back and went to sit beside his wife.

Rumple had chosen not to employ a preacher or a knight to marry he and Belle. Most of them had spent their lives in the Enchanted Forest preaching or fighting against him and his devil deal making. It would be hypocritical to ask them to officiate, so he chose Archie instead.

Archie took a breath, "It is my great honor to officiate this most lovely reunion."

Neal caught Emma's eye from his father's side and smiled.

"If you'd like to begin your vows…," Archie started.

For a split second, Belle forgot what she was going to say. She'd practiced all week and then all night but her father's announcement had thrown everything off. However, when she looked at him, the words flowed out of her mouth, "Rumpelstiltskin, this thing we have, it's never been easy. I've - I've lost you so many times. I've lost you to darkness. To weakness and... And finally, to death. But now I realize - I realize that I have not spent my life losing you. I've spent my life finding you.

Rumple's hands shook a bit as he spoke next, "Belle, when we met I wasn't just unloved and unloving. I was an enemy of love. Love had only brought me pain. My walls were up. But you broke them down. You brought me home. You brought light into my life and chased away all the darkness. And I vow to you I will never forget the distance who I was..."

He pulled out the ring, Belle extended her hand and watched as he placed it on her finger before doing the same to him.

"... and what I am. I owe more to you than I can ever say. How you can see the man behind the monster, I will never know," he finished.

"But that monster is gone, And the man beneath him may be flawed, but we all are." Belle reminded him, right there in front of everyone, "And I love you for it. Sometimes the best book has the dustiest jacket. And sometimes the best tea cup is chipped"

Archie took both their left hands and bound them with a white ribbon, "May the love between you always be strong, true, and eternal."

Rumple's bound hand tightened over Belle's and he pulled her close to him. Belle's hands went to hold his face as they kissed.

After everything, they were now husband and wife.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"Are weddings in the Enchanted Forest usually like that?" Emma asked her mom as they sat close to each other for reception.

"Like what?" Snow asked watching while Charming was trying to sooth a crying tired Robert.

"I don't know, the weddings I've been to are a bit different, and so I'd like to know if they're all like the ones we saw. With vows and a ring and a kiss and that's it."

"No dear, they're usually start early, with a full day of pomp and then the wedding can take up to three hours, and the reception lasts the rest of the day and all night with the consummation happening behind closed doors in the early hours or in the early afternoon at the latest."

Emma wasn't exactly sorry to miss out on all that but there was a part of her that really wished she could have seen at least ONE royal wedding, "How long did yours last?"

"Oh, ours was a lot more modern by our world's standards, it fell more in line with what this world has. It didn't seem right to have a huge expensive wedding when the world was torn apart by the war with Regina. So, we kept it simple and then distributed most of the gifts and money to those most hurt."

"I would think a wedding giving people to celebrate after a war would be a good thing."

"I'm sure it could have been," Snow agreed, "But we chose not to do that. And it worked for us…. for the most part."

Emma couldn't help but look over to see Red and Regina sharing an intimate kiss and tried to push back the feelings that boiled in her belly.

The things they all could have had.

"Hey," Neal came up with Lizzie in his arms.

"Hey," Emma greeted and kissed him.

"You still look beautiful."

"He keeps telling that to me," Emma told her mother.

"Well you do," Snow told her.

"I have some news," Neal whispered, "We got the certificates we needed and passed all the inspections for the Lost Boy house."

Emma beamed and jumped up to wrap her arms around his neck, "That's amazing!"

He wrapped his free arm around her, "We'll open in three weeks!"

"Good," Emma kissed him, "I'm proud of you."

"Really?"

"Yeah"

"That means a lot coming from the sheriff."

"It should mean more coming from your girlfriend."

He kissed her again. Lizzie leaned toward Emma to be held, Emma took her and kissed her cheek, "Where's Henry?"

Emma found him sitting close to his grandfather furiously writing in a spiral notebook, "Over there. What's he doing?"

"I don't know," Neal looked at her, "You want me to?"

"No, I got it."

She went to sit by her son, "Cool wedding, huh?"

"Yeah, it was short. Grandpa said they used to go up to FIVE HOURS in the old days."

"I don't think I'd be able to stand in heels for that long," Emma muttered and looked at his writing, "What are ya writing?"

"About the wedding."

"You a journalist and forget to tell us?"

"No," Henry said and looked up, "I'm writing the next part of the book."

"Oh really?" Emma asked.

"The book ends when grandpa sends you through the tree, and so I've been writing on what happens after. There's a lot I've forgotten but so I write it as it happens now."

Emma glanced at Archie and then back at Henry, "Does that…help?"

"Sometimes," Henry told her, "It's easier when things like this happen. It reminds me that good can win, and happily ever afters ARE possible. After everything that's happened, and when people die, it's easy to forget.

"I know," Emma strokes his hair.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000

"Look at them," Snow whispered when Neal went to join his son and their daughter, "They look so happy"

"Yeah," Charming couldn't help but feel overprotective though, he still kept his eye on Neal. Just in case.

Snow rubbed his leg, "Maybe we'll be preparing for another wedding soon.

Charming didn't want to think about THAT yet, "They just started mending things, sweetheart. I think a wedding this early would destroy what they're trying to do."

"I guess," Snow mumbled and watched as Henry showed them things that he was writing, "It's quiet without them in the house though."

He kissed her, "I know."

"I miss them just being upstairs."

"Emma needs her own space," Charming told her, "And after the wedding, so will we."

"Oh?" Snow raised her eyebrow and then giggled when Charming playfully buried his face in her neck, "Nostop!"

0000000000000000000000

When Rumpelstiltskin was sure that everyone was full from the catering that he…summoned,, he tore his attention away from his wife and stood up. As soon as he did, everyone went silent.

"As some of you may have realized, we decided to mix and match our wedding traditions as we saw fit, which was quite a feat in the limited time we chose to plan it."

That illicited a few polite chuckles, which was more than what he expected.

"However," he continued, "If we're gonna do this... We're gonna do it properly. I think we've been married almost a full three hours, and I don't believe we've had our first dance."

He snapped his fingers, a record started from the record player, the lights brightened a bit and he stood there, in black pants, a blue coat with gold embroidery and gold vest. Belle stood in front of him in a yellow puffy ball gown.

He walked up to his wife, "Care to dance…Mrs. Gold?"

Belle sniffled a bit and pulled him close, "I'd love to."

This part was not practiced, this was his surprise for her. Her father hadn't shown up and Red had secretly told him what Maurice did. The least he could do was potentially embarrass himself in front of his family to give Belle her first wedding dance to make her feel better.

He led her to the floor, and spun her to face him. He was out of practice, and had no idea what waltz they were going to do, the Enchanted forest had 149 different waltzes at any given time. But he did his own thing and somehow Belle knew what to do to follow him. The music ended and he dipped her, his eyes latched onto hers.

He would never be separated from her again.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000

When the wedding dance was done, Neal immediately took Lizzie and handed her to Grumpy, "Here."

"Hey!"

He took Emma's hand, "Come on."

"What?"

"Let's dance."

"Regina will tape it and mock me."

"You'll be the prettiest woman on the dance floor."

"Oh stop"

"it's true."

"Your father might disagree."

"If my dad thinks that my girlfriend is the hottest woman, then we have more issues than even I thought."

He tugged her again and Emma let herself be pulled up, he pulled her over to slow dance with him. Emma felt his hand encircle her waist and pull her close. Emma's hand went in his. Her green dress wasn't long enough to have ANY train, so she rested the other one on his shoulder. To her relief, she saw Red and Regina dancing as well.

Henry had put his pencil down and was watching his family. She pointed at him to let him know that he was next.

"You're everything to me," Neal whispered in her ear, "And I will always love you."

Emma didn't return the words, instead she kissed him and to her, that was enough for him to know that she had settled enough in her heart to realize that she loved him back.

0000000000000000000000

 **Day 11**

The dancing and the eating went on all day. Red left early to see to the diner and Regina went with her to do her own work. Before that, both got a dance with Henry and plans were made to have him visit for the weekend.

Emma danced with her son. He was awkward, he had two left feet and both forgot EVERYTHING Charming had taught them in the days between Dark and Dracula but it was still their dance and they made it work. By the evening, Belle and Rumple had snuck off together, Charming shared a dance with Emma and then had to dance three dances with Lizzie before the baby fell asleep (a crush that Snow still thought was hilarious), and everyone exhaustedly stumbled home.

To Emma's mortification, her parents implied that the evening was going to be romantic, but she couldn't bring it to herself to focus on sex with Neal. It wasn't anything against him, they just weren't completely there yet. Being a savior and a mother was just so tiring and Emma wanted their first reunited time together to be just right.

So, she collapsed in bed first, she didn't know when exactly Neal came to bed, but when she woke up from watching Mina die yet again, he was there shaking her awake.

"Emma?" he asked.

Emma was shaking and completely covered in sweat, "I'm fine."

"Maybe you should talk to Archie-."

"I'm _fine,"_ Emma snapped.

And then the wave of grief hit her. Maybe it was just because this was the eighth night in a row she'd seen Mina die or beg her to save her. This one had been bloody, Emma was trying to forget it but it was so vivid….

Or maybe it was because Emma had been so intensely focused on her duties as a mother and savior that the wedding today was enough of an emotional reprieve for her to let the other emotions that she was holding back through.

She doubled over and started sobbing.

"Emma," Neal wrapped her arms around her. Emma went to instinctively pull away at first but then she let him hold and comfort her.

"She was going to be my sister," Emma sobbed, "She told me that she wanted to be."

"I know."

"She was someone that got it, she was someone that understood being a mom, and saving people."

"I know."

"We should have found another way."

"There wasn't another one."

Pandora's box should have worked, or they should have killed him temporarily and then kept killing him so Mina could see her daughter grow up and eventually reunite with her mother and family. They'd have sealed it so he couldn't get through. Mina had a life. Emma would've had someone to ease some of the duties and feelings that she didn't think she could tell the others.

Dracula was dead, but he had won.

Mina Harker was dead, her father was dead, her mother had had them both ripped from her. They would be in shambles and now it was Emma's job to go to a fellow mother and tell her that her daughter would never be coming home.

And maybe, that was a big part of why she'd rather keep Lizzie instead of journeying to the world without color. Sometimes false hope was better than no hope. Emma knew what it was like to be completely alone.

How could she do that to someone else? How could she hand over a baby after telling a mother that her daughter had killed herself and then leave? She couldn't do it, she couldn't shatter what was left of Beth Murray's life and then leave her and her granddaughter for Dracula to one day maybe returned and destroy what was left.

She couldn't do it. She was the savior and she was surrounded constantly by those she couldn't save.

"It's okay," Neal whispered as he held her, "It's okay."

But it wasn't, even if Emma talked this woman into coming to their world, she would still have her life shattered and then moved to a place that she wouldn't understand. If her brothers didn't come, then Beth risked being cut off from her family once the cloak closed behind them.

No matter what, Emma was ruining this family.

Wasn't it best just to adopt Lizzie? Or was Rumple right when he gave her the looks and innuendo that implied she was selfish?

Or maybe in her bid to save SOMEONE without leading to more people dying, she was all those things she thought about herself and Rumple thought of her at once.

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It was five in the morning when Rumple got the text for Emma to call him. It wasn't followed by multiple texts or calls, or people pounding on his door. So, he knew that Storybrooke wasn't about to explode. He pulled away from his new wife and slipped into the hallway.

"I'm selfish, aren't I?" she asked as soon as he returned her call

He knew what it was about immediately, "No, you just…have a different way of what you believe is right."

There was silence on the other end, "We only knew her for about a week."

"She was someone you could talk to," Rumple reminded her, "And I think that's what you needed in that time."

"And then she died."

Rumple was quiet, "She did."

Emma's voice broke on the other end of the line, "I'm the savior and I have to tell her mother I couldn't save her."

"You being the savior doesn't mean you'll save everyone."

Emma scoffed, "Then what's the point?"

"The point is that you'll save as many as you can. But you won't do it just because that's your job title. If you start doing that just because you're the savior and that's the job I gave you, then we've all lost. The point is that you'll try your best, like she did, and people will live because of you."

"Maybe my savior status was done when I broke the curse."

"You saved us too many times to truly think that."

Emma was quiet for so long that Rumple wondered if the call was disconnected, "Did you meet her mom?"

"I have. She's not terrible, Emma."

"She didn't believe Mina when Mina told her about Dracula and everything that happened."

"She made a mistake that I'm sure she regrets. I have done the same, so have you. She's human, and her daughter asked her to believe something her mind couldn't comprehend."

"Yet she met YOU."

"I took on a very normal appearance for Alex's sake."

Emma sighed tiredly, "If I give her to her grandmother and Dracula comes back, I'll have broken the promise I made to her memory."

"There's a lot that could happen between then and now, dear."

"She'll want the baby, won't she?"

"Yes, she will," Rumple told her, "And she'll want to know what happened to her daughter."

"I guess being a savior isn't about saving people, it's about making hard decisions."

"That's what a leader does," he closed his eyes, he had made a similar promise to Alex's memory to keep Mina safe, "Sometimes there is no right solution, there's no happy ending and the moment you've accepted that sometimes you have to play a terrible hand well, you've achieved a recognition that most other leaders don't. And if you hold onto your soul while you make those decision, even better."

"That sucks."

"The hardest thing we all have to learn is that our fairy tale lives are not fairy tales, that's why the books change it all up to make it better, I suppose."

Emma sighed, "I really do care about the baby."

"I know, dear. I care about her too"

"I cared about her mom, maybe I loved her. I don't know. I guess I got excited at the idea of finally having someone to talk to that understood me."

"It's a rare thing to have here," he admitted. He was still looking for that.

He heard the gurgling of a baby on the other end of the line, "She won't get to see Lizzie grow up or get married. I don't want to risk Lizzie growing up alone like I did."

"Not likely for that to happen," he tried to assure her, but Beth was in her…fifties or sixties now. She was getting up there for her time period, "We'll find a way to still be in her life."

Emma sighed, "I know you're right, but so am I."

"It's a very complicated issue, but we have to factor in the idea that maybe Dracula is truly dead."

"If you're wrong about that, it's not us that suffers. At least not until he gets past this cloak spell you're designing. And if he comes back, her sacrifice was for nothing."

"Like Jonathan's," Rumple acknowledged.

"That nearly broke her," Emma told him, "And if he comes back, it'll break me too. We've been through enough."

Rumple sighed, "Then let's just hope that he's dead."

They were quiet for a few more moments.

"I'm sorry I called on your wedding morning."

"It's alright, dark ones don't really need to sleep."

"It was a beautiful wedding."

"Thank you. Let's hope yours is even grander."

Emma chuckled, "Now that'll really be an unbelievable fairy tale."

000000000000000000000000

 **Present day**

Mina stared at everyone at the table as Emma was finishing up the tale. They had all taken turns, they had all told her what had happened that first week, but now Mina was waiting for the rest of it, "So what happened next?"

"Well, we settled down until the nightmares got so bad that sleeping was out of the question…and then we all realized we shared them and realized you were calling for help."

"But I didn't call for help," Mina told them, "Until you all came for me I was…just locked in that room."

"Well, we figured that out," Charming told her.

"We'd best figure out what happens _now,_ " she muttered, "We've pissed off gods."

And it was then that Mina realized she was very very tired, everything that had happened had been in such a short amount of time, but it felt like an eternity from when she escaped the asylum till now.

And her body had taken a lot of abuse.

"I think….," Mina started and stood, "I think I'd like a cigarette, and then I'd like to go to bed."

Jonathan stood with her, "Is it safe? Should I go with you?"

"You go on to bed," Mina told him and stroked his face, "I need to talk to Emma."

0000000000000000000000000000000

Both women knew the other parties would be listening as soon as they got outside, so they took things further past the wrap around porch.

Emma took them to the gazebo halfway between the barn. She expected an argument, Mina had not been looking particularly happy every time her daughter was mentioned and disobeying her wishes were also being thrown around. There would be an onslaught, she knew the woman in front of her had to have an opinion.

Mina went forward instead, for a brief second Emma thought instead, she was going to punch her. But last second Mina wrapped her arms around her and Emma immediately returned the embrace.

"Thank you for saving us," she whispered.

I didn't save you, you still died."

"Emma, I wouldn't have stopped trying until I was dead if it meant saving the rest of you from what Dracula would do."

"You could've waited until we found a better way."

"There was no better way," Mina told her, "And I had to act fast because YOU ignored everything I told you about what a liar he was and were surrendering to him. We were both making the hard choice. Luckily, I just made mine before you had to follow through on yours."

Emma shuddered as she didn't need reminding at how close she was to become his next toy.

Mina put the cigarette in her mouth and lit it, and chuckled darkly, "Henry told me these would kill me once. I told him to add it to the list."

"That's not funny."

"Death jokes generally aren't when you're still alive," Mina leaned against the column and let out a breath of smoke, "To me now, I have to laugh about _something_."

"We won a small battle," Emma smiled, "We got you out."

Mina managed a smile back, "You did."

"Dad saved Jonathan and your dad too," Emma shot her a thumbs-up, "Very good choice in men by the way."

"He's quieter than I thought he'd be," Mina admitted.

"Yeah he…he was left inside his room in the asylum for eight years. Dad said it was empty and he's…well…that does something to people."

"So, he's a bit mad?"

"Yeah, but he's still sweet. He's shy, which I guess I didn't expect. He's not…violent or anything. He just says weird things, and laughs at weird times, and sometimes sees things that aren't there."

Mina's face crumbled a bit, "Well, he has as long as we have here to heal, I suppose."

"I'm sorry he found out the way he did about the babies."

Mina's face fell and she wiped the tears away, Emma watched as she gathered herself and faced Emma, "Dracula's dead, we know that now. He isn't coming back."

Emma knew where this was going, "Yeah."

"I suppose that means our next step is to figure out what that means for Lizzy now."

Emma hesitated, "yeah."

She expected an angry tirade and Mina did look upset that Emma had not followed her instruction. But the rant never came. Mina's shoulders slumped, and she just looked so defeated, "Is there a picture?" 

"Yes," Emma stood up and fished out the cellphone. She showed one of the pictures to Mina who studied it and then wiped more tears away, "She's getting bigger."

"We've started her on solid foods now. …and she's rolling, she rolls everywhere."

"Oh."

"I was…part of it was just trying to keep her safe," Emma told her, "Another part of it was because I didn't want to break your mother, I know that now."

"I know," Mina finished off her cigarette, "And I understand why you felt that way. That's why I'm not completely furious. I know you were doing your best to keep her safe. But he's dead, and my mother has every right to know what happened to me."

"You could have other enemies," Emma told her, "You didn't exactly make friends when you went to America. Hunters carry grudges. And then there's that wendigo in California you weren't sure you killed."

"Hunters don't kill families if their enemy is dead and wendigo's stick to their territories. It's time to take Lizzie home. It's been a long time in the making."

"It'll kill her to know what happened," Emma told her, "it'd kill me if something happened to Henry."

"My mother's stronger than that and so are you."

Emma doubted it, "She could be happy. She could be married again."

"She could be."

"To the wendigo."

Mina let out a loud embarrassing laugh and shook her head, "Piss off."

They sat there for a few more moments staring at the house, "Will you be happy here?"

"I hope so," Mina looked at her, "I have my husband, and my father….and my daughter's father and other people I don't know. It should take the rest of eternity figuring all of it out."

"Killian's brother, our former sheriff who is his husband and Killian's late girlfriend. Also Granny if she chooses to stay. You're lucky."

"Hm…," Mina stretched her neck, "So you and Neal are back together, then?"

"Yeah."

"Congratulations, I'm happy for you."

Emma knew she meant it, "Thank you."

"We'd have never lasted."

"No."

Mina looked at her, "We were lonely, that's all. And we were attracted to the idea of each other."

"We'd have had fun thought," Emma teased

"And fought constantly."

"The passion would have been off the charts."

"You have a better person than me now, don't ever forget it," Mina told her.

Emma smiled and rested her head on Mina's shoulder, "I'm glad I get to say goodbye."

Mina rested her head on Emma's, "Me too."

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Killian's mind was a jumble, it had been a long day, and it wasn't until he collapsed in his bed that he realized how drained he was.

He had faced his father, heard the man give his version of the truth and Killian didn't want to believe him. He had spent centuries furious with his father. If his dad had been around, Liam wouldn't have died. He wouldn't have spent centuries in Neverland. This all could have been avoided.

But if it wasn't his father's fault, where did that leave him? Where did all the anger go now?

He heard someone knock on the door, he lifted his head to see Milah slip in, "Hi."

"Hi," he laid back down.

"Are you okay?"

"I'll survive. What son doesn't want to hear his father isn't as terrible as he thought while his child's mother has a gun ot her head?"

Milah moved further in the room, "Belle and Rumple are having a spat, she's sleeping in my room."

"How'd that come about?"

"He killed her fiancé or some such, decades ago. I suppose somehow that's more surprising than finding out he killed his first wife."

"This world is twisted," Killian sighed, "And we're just as twisted I guess."

"I thought perhaps I could stay with you tonight."

Back in the day the idea would've excited him, he would've reunited with her and it would mean that she forgave him for what he did to Neal. But he still saw the way that she looked at him, there wasn't forgiveness there. Just a need.

"Don't worry," he told her weakly, "It won't mean anything. It won't mean you're choosing me over Bae. It's just a night."

Milah seemed to accept that and closed the door, shutting them away from the world.

000000000000000000000000000000000

When Mina had gone up the stairs, her father had requested to speak to her but Mina had asked that he wait till tomorrow. She was exhausted, she didn't want to have to deal with the emotions that came with her father being a secret hunter this whole time.

But he was still papa, and she hadn't seen him since she was sixteen. She tearfully hugged him, told him she loved him and went to the room at the end of the hallway.

Jonathan was already there when she came in. She took him in as he walked to her in dark blue cotton sleeping pants that seemed to be the fashion now.

The door closed behind her, giving them their privacy. Mina wrapped her arms around his neck and slammed her lips against his passionately. He lifted her up, Mina made a desperate noise she couldn't identify as she buried her face in his neck.

"I love you," he whispered her.

She tried to memorize everything, his embrace, his scent, the way he felt against her. It was too fast when she felt him place her down on the floor and cover her face with small kisses.

"I'm sorry," he whispered "I'm sorry I left you."

"No, I'm sorry," Mina rested her forehead on his, "I should have fought harder I should have kept you safe."

"That shouldn't have been your concern, I'm your husband. I made a vow to your family and God to keep you safe and he came in while I slept and laid his hands on you-" he swallowed, "It should never have happened."

It shouldn't have," she agreed.

Jonathan's hands went to her belly, Mina closed her eyes tightly as he rested his face in her hair.

Mina closed her eyes tightly and just shared her grief with him, "I wasn't strong enough to keep him safe either. I lost him before I made it back to England"

He drew in a shaky breath, "You're so sure it was a boy?"

"Mina shrugged, "I can't just call him 'it'. I call him 'Johnny', you know, in my head. I named him after you."

He kept her against him, "They say you were hunting monsters."

"I was," She felt her body tense, "Jonathan…. I'm not the woman you married anymore. I'm…. broken. There's a lot I've seen, a lot I've done, it's changed me."

"It's alright," he told her, "They put me in a room for years and pieces of me fell out. I won't get them back."

The sadness in his voice nearly destroyed her, she stroked his face, "I love you anyway."

His face lit up, he looked hopeful and Mina saw enough of him there that reassured her things might be okay.

"I really want to catch up," he told her, "But I'm so tired, Mina. It was eight years of a room and then a day of everything. I have you back, and I just want to hold you."

Mina was so glad; her legs were about to go out from under her.

She slipped in the unfamiliar bed, and felt her husband slip in behind her and pull her back against his chest. It didn't take long before she heard him snoring behind her.

Mina stared at the wall as she let everything process, she tried to summon the energy to think about what she might do next but she found quickly that her eyelids were drooping and her mind kept wandering

She fell asleep soon after her husband did and thankfully, for the first time in a while, had a safe dreamless sleep.

00000000000000000000000000000000

When the world didn't crash on them in the journey back to the house, Emma let herself be happy. It was a tiny victory, but everyone was safe and that meant that for now they had won.

How long? Emma didn't know but for tonight she was going to let herself be happy.

She met Neal in their room. He was already stripped down to a shirt and boxer shorts. Emma admired the view until he finally realized she was there and playfully shook it at her.

Emma smirked and shed her jacket and struggled with her boots.

"So, everyone's safe, we're going home now, right?" he asked.

"That's something to figure out tomorrow," Emma told him and shed her pants.

"Oh, so bedtime then? Nothing happening, time for sleeps? "

"For a boyfriend over 200 years old, I didn't expect you to be so old."

He scowled, "I'm not old!"

"I should hope not, wouldn't want to break a hip."

He barely caught her as she jumped into his arms and fell against the bed.

Tomorrow, she would start making plans, and they could get to see Henry by tomorrow night.


	7. 4B E06 - Old Enemies

Regina had factored into finding her dad in this place. She had killed him, he would have unfinished business. To her delight, she had found him, living comfortably in this little house in the underworld, he was safe.

But that all changed once the door opened and her mother walked in, followed by Pan.

Both Regina and Snow reacted immediately when they laid eyes on a smirking Pan. Snow pulled Henry behind her and raised a bow and arrow, Regina stood in front of both of them and summoned fire from her hands.

"Oh Regina, get out of the way," Cora sighed.

"No," Regina shook her head, "Not this time."

"I just want to make Snow a more permanent member, this is something you spent years wanting to. If you just move, we can erase Henry's memory and one of your problems is over."

Regina nearly lost everything when she fell for that last time, but not again, "I can't let you do that, mother."

"Oh, for heaven's sakes, she killed Daniel."

And there it was. Regina felt all the rage coming back as she was reminded of that. She remembered Snow whispering that she hadn't wanted Regina lose her mom. She replayed that conversation over and over in her head. She remembered that moment where something clicked off in her brain and she just didn't care.

But her mother had known, now that Regina's mind was clear, all she could do was sit there realizing that her mother _had_ to have known, "You manipulated Snow into telling you."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Stop lying, _mother._ "

Cora blinked, "Fine then, well she killed _me_. After you put my heart back in and I died. I don't suppose you sat there sometimes wondering what could have happened after? What would have developed if I had my heart?"

"Doesn't seem like much has changed," Regina spat.

"Because she listened to Rumpelstiltskin and didn't allow it me to change. I'm frozen like this since she killed me"

"Because you set me against them!" Regina screamed.

All those years of hating Snow wasted and for what?

For all this?

"You cost me my soul," Regina snapped.

"Rumpelstiltskin did that."

"You took the only person I ever cared about before I got Henry."

"Are you going to move, or not?" Cora asked, "You know what will happen if you don't. I have less to lose than you do."

Regina felt that same spike of fear go through her that she used to feel when she was a young girl. But she stood her ground now, "You won't kill me, mother."

"Of course not, I love you," Cora said with a smile that might cause the next ice age.

She waved her hand. Regina was tossed against a wall and was held in place.

Snow released the arrow, sending it into Cora's hand. Regina tumbled face first to the floor and tried to get up. Cora quickly stood over her and held her down

Pan flew across the room, aiming right at Snow. She barely had time to grab a table as he slammed into her, sending both of them and the table flying into the corner.

Pan turned to Henry, who was scrambling back, "Well then, now that they're out of the way we have some unfinished business too."

"NO!" Cora ripped the arrow out of her hand and healed it, "We need him alive or Regina will never forgive me."

"She won't forgive you anyway, that sort of thing happens when you murder the only person they ever cared about or something."

"She's just being dramatic, she always was," Cora sighed and looked down at her daughter, "She should have just annihilated everyone when she had the chance."

Pan glanced over at Cora, which gave Henry the opportunity he needed to grab the over-tuned table and slammed it against Pan's side.

"RUN!" Snow screamed, "Find Emma!"

"I don't think he's going anywhere," Cora held him in place with her magic.

Regina lifted her head up, "YOU KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF MY SON!"

The room lit up with fire from Regina's hands. Not outwards like an escaping flame but a bright white light that nearly blinded everyone in the room.

Spots danced in front of Regina's eyes but she saw her son was no longer on the floor scrambling in fear. _That's my boy._

Regina should have taken off after Henry, she should make sure he's safe, that was her son, he came first. She should just leave Snow behind and leave her to fend for herself. Snow survived worse, she survived her mother several times before.

But for some reason, and Regina would never be able to explain it, she bent down to help Snow.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Melinoë believed in accountability, her father had raised her to know that her job as a goddess in her own right and one of the heirs of the underworld would be holding each and every individual accountable for their sins.

It was less fun to think about when it was her own sins she had to face up to.

Her father had handed down the order that she was to apologize to Cora for framing her for stealing the sheriff's heart. Melinoë didn't see why she had to. It wasn't like it was anything out of the ordinary for Cora but her parents acted like it didn't matter.

Melinoë also was not fond of the low talks her parents were having together that didn't include the family. Something was going on.

"It's not even a big thing, Melinoë," James told her as he sat next to her in the car, "You apologized to me."

"You're different, I'm sorry I took your heart. I'm not sorry I framed Cora for it."

"Well apologizing doesn't have to mean you're sorry." 

"Did it ever for you?" 

He shrugged, "I'm a prince, princes don't usually apologize. Well, there was the time I apologized to Jack the Giant Killer…..but that was sarcastic."

Melinoë gave another look to the house, "I'm a goddess, that should mean the same for me."

"Unfortunately, your father's king and he thinks otherwise. It's good to keep the mayor on good terms with the family, I'd think."

"Replacements are usually a pain," Melinoë agreed. She wanted to not do it and say she did but she knew her father was watching and he'd know, "Let's just get this over with."

They both opened the door, Melinoë waited for James to come around to her side, he walked her to the door.

"Melinoë!"

The princess turned to see her parents walking up the drive, "Papa?"

"Get away from the door."

"What is it?" Melinoë asked. James immediately put his hand on her back to usher her down the stairs

The door flew open, a small figure ran face first into Melinoë, nearly knocking her down the stairs. James grabbed her, Melinoë grabbed onto the child instinctively and pulled back to see who it was. When she saw the face of the savior's son, she immediately pushed him away in disgust and terror.

"That's what it is," Hades told her, "Mel, you have to go home." 

"They're HERE?!" she whispered, "In this house?!"

"Not all of them," Persephone came and put her hand on her daughter's shoulder, "But they could come, you have to go home."

"No, I want to stay. You need someone that can help."

Persephone shook her head, "I can't let that happen."

"Mother-."

"Please," Persephone rested her hands on either side of Melinoë's face, "I can't lose you too."

It was something about her mother's genuine fear and look of love, Melinoë usually would have disobeyed if she felt this strongly, she would have rebelled… but she was already on thin ice with her parents, she better not risk it.

"Come on, princess," James ushered her away, "We'll get something to eat."

"I'm not hungry," she muttered as she walked with him

Hades put his hand on his wife's back reassuringly and turned to the door where a nervous Cora and Pan bowed, "Majesties."

"I heard you have some of our visitors in your basement," Hades said and put what one might mistake as an affectionate hand on Henry's hair.

"What makes you think that?" Pan asked.

Persephone smirked and nodded to Cora, "Her husband thought their chances might be better with us instead of you."

Cora shot a murderous glare to the back of her house.

Hades snapped his fingers, "Now then, lets start negotiations, shall we?"

"They belong to us," Cora said, "She's my daughter, and my murderer is here and that's my grandson."

"They have to answer for the crimes against gods before they answer to the crimes against YOU," Persephone smiled.

"Then what will it take?" Cora asked.

Hades thought it over, "Right now they're holed up where we can't see them."

"We can find them of course," Persephone started.

"But why waste that energy when I could be ruling?" Hades finished, "You'll have to prove that you can hold onto them long enough to get the rest to me. I want all or part of those… 'heroes' in our custody by nightfall. You can use any means necessary but I want them alive. If you can do that… then I'll give you Snow White, Regina, and Henry to do what you want with."

Pan smirked, "Perfect."

Persephone pulled Henry out of Pan's reach before he could grab them, "But until you're ready to use them as bait… I think it's best they stay in our custody."

Pan shot her the most hateful glare before he managed a nod, "Majesties."

"Good," Persephone wrapped a faux motherly arm around Henry, "Now, take us to the ladies, please."

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Mina stared up at the ceiling as the light filled the room. Her husband was finally asleep next to her with his arms wrapped tightly around his waist. She had slept for maybe three hours last night, and it'd been a good three hours, but then Jonathan woke up screaming. The room was different; he was confused at why he wasn't in his cell anymore. It was dark but somehow he knew that the dimensions in that tiny cell were far different from the room he woke up in. When he saw her, he thought that this was a trick; that she couldn't possibly be here.

Then he realized she was, and he remembered the things she'd told him, and he fell asleep sobbing as he held her.

And then she couldn't sleep for her own reasons. Her own nightmares waited in the wings, or Jonathan might wake up again. She hadn't had a man in her bed since Killian and she was still getting used to it.

Killian, she had to talk to him…she still had to talk to her father, bloody hell.

She felt him shift in the bed and she rolled away. Mina had promised him that she'd be there when she woke up but she had lay in that bed for hours and she couldn't do it anymore, she needed to stretch her legs.

Jonathan stirred, and she tucked him in before he drifted back off. She pulled on her robe and slipped out of the room.

Only to come face to face with Killian. Their eyes met and she felt a little bit of joy seeing him and then that dread in the pit of her stomach as she realized that that talk was here and it was now.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Yeah," she looked down and then met his eyes, "You alright?"

"Of course, love," he tried to flash her that cocky smile she would recognize but that looked shaky, "Why wouldn't I be?"

Mina was too blunt for games, "Because you faced your father for me."

His smile fell, and he became the Killian she knew privately, "Well…he didn't give me much of a choice, did he?"

"No, but you didn't have to. You could have left me behind"

"That's not me anymore, love," he swallowed, "We need to talk."

"I suppose we do," Mina braced herself because whatever Killian was about to find out, he wasn't going to be happy.

When she started off towards his room, he blocked her, "Mina…best not in my room"

Mina raised an eyebrow, "Who's in there?"

He shifted, "It doesn't mean anything."

Mina put two and two together relatively quickly; it was Milah, "Well, she was the love of your life."

"She hasn't forgiven me for what I did to her son. And I don't think she ever will. I've made…peace with that. It is what it is."

"But last night."

"Last night I needed someone familiar and she was there."

He guided her to another room, an empty one that she suspected would be for more of their little family once one of them died and needed a place to hide.

And then they sat there staring at each other awkwardly for the next few minutes.

"She's beautiful," Killian started, "Her name is Elizabeth, right? After your mum."

"Yeah. The photos they take don't do her justice though"

"What's her middle name?"

Mina was quiet, "Thought I'd save that for you when I found you."

"So, you did look for me."

"I did."

"Hard?"

Mina was quiet and he took that as his answer, he ran his hand through his hair, "Dammit, Mina. Why?"

"Killian," Mina tried to think of the words to say, "I didn't even think I was going to keep her until that last month."

"I still had a right to know. What if "I" wanted her?"

Mina felt her temper flare up at the thought, "That's not place for a child."

"With her pirate father?"

"On that blasted ship," Mina told him, "What sort of life is that for a little girl?"

"I'm not a pirate anymore!"

"Does that matter?"

"It's not as dangerous," he snapped, "I've changed. I helped people."

"Not as dangerous?!" she demanded, "Remember how we MET?!"

"That's irrelevant, that was an anomaly and you know that!"

Mina was losing this, she would never be right in not looking as hard as she should have, but she still instinctively felt she had some ground to stand on, "Remember what that world was like with all those creatures running wild? And pir- men like you don't want daughters. Sons are a lot more useful"

He stopped, "Surely you thought I'd be there?"

"I didn't think you'd want her."

"Well I did!" he yelled, "She's my little girl! You might have been ready to throw her away but she mattered to me!"

The words might as well have been a strike and she took a step backwards, "You bloody bastard. I didn't deserve that. I wasn't throwing her away. I was ready to give her to someone that could give her a stable life. You and me, we didn't have that, even if I settled down, I couldn't hope to be the sort of mother that would be good for her. Not after what I've seen and done."

"There are far worse people than us who have been far better parents," he told her, "I could have kept both of you safe."

Mina was quiet, "She would never have been safe. Dracula came back."

He visibly dropped some of his defenses, but his eyes still showed how furious he was, "I heard. I'm sorry."

"We would have never been safe."

"We would have," he told her, "If you told me, I would've never gave up my love for Emma to become selfish and sacrifice my own life so they could come back from the Enchanted Forest. I wouldn't have died. I would have taken you and Lizzie and sailed through as many worlds as we could until we were so far away, he'd never be able to track us down. Lizzie could have grown up safe."

"And he would've done what he did to me to more women," Mina whispered, "Including Emma. I couldn't run off to live safely while knowing he might still be out there."

"And that's the problem," he muttered, "You kept fighting and fighting at the expense of yourself."

"People would die."

"There will always be people that die."

"And you're alright with that? Even when it's your friends?"

He looked guilty, and closed his eyes "Our daughter would've had both her parents. No matter what we were, no matter what we turned out to be, she would've had both of us. She comes first. She always will, that's what good parents do."

"And his victims are the kids, and the parents, and the families that wouldn't have each other if I didn't stop it. We didn't put him down for good seven years ago. If he killed people, that is my fault. It also means Jonathan and my father died for nothing. Lizzie comes first, and it's also my responsibility to make sure my demons can't hurt anyone else….least of all, any grandkids or any other members of our families he still could've killed to hurt us."

Killian was quiet, "You should have told me. You should have found me, I was easy to find."

"I'm sorry," she told him sincerely.

"I can't accept that," he told her with exhaustion in his voice, "Your reasoning; whether it's because you thought I'd reject her, or you weren't going to keep her, I don't believe you."

"I'm not lying."

"I can't trust that, Mina," he told her sadly and went to walk away.

Mina didn't move as she heard him open the door and hesitate. She turned to see him standing there shaking, "What is it, Killian?"

He drew in a breath, "I just found out my father actually loved me, or claimed to love me. How about that?"

"I'm happy for you," she told him.

"Where's Lizzie going when they get back?"

"To my mother's hopefully."

He sighed, "Hopefully when they tell her about who her parents are, they'll tell her I love her."

He shut the door firmly behind him.

Mina waited a few moments before she opened the door to go back to her room.

"Mina?" she inwardly groaned when she saw her father standing in the doorway of his room, "Are you alright?"

"Just a disagreement," Mina choked out.

"Do you want to…to talk?"

"No," Mina shook her head, "It's not a good time. Not now."

She slipped back into her room and closed the door before he could argue.

Jonathan was asleep in the bed, Mina pulled back the covers and slipped between the sheets with him.

He turned, and reached for her with his eyes closed. Mina instinctively moved closer and wrapped her arms around his waist. She was a bad person, she was the worst. Not only did she refuse to actively look for her child's father in those months, other than what she HAD to do, she got irritated at him.

She couldn't cry though, not in front of Jonathan.

Jonathan reached over and kissed her eyelids, just like he used to do when they first got married, "Get some sleep, sweetheart. The sun is up, the dark can't hurt us."

It didn't take Mina long to fall back asleep. Everyone else would be awake, if there was some sort of attack coming, the rest of them could be ready for them.

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It had been awhile since Emma woke up with the feeling that they'd actually completely won. They'd succeeded, everyone was safe, the family had an eternity to figure everything out together while they were down here.

But it was time for the living to go home, they'd done what they set out to do. Emma was hoping they could be out by tonight, she was missing her family, she hadn't seen Henry in days. She wanted to hold him so much that it hurt.

Neal had been quiet as they dressed and got ready for the day in the bathroom. She hadn't noticed at first as they woke up, but she started to notice as they showered. Then when she tried to start a conversation as they stood in front of the bathroom mirror, it became obvious.

"You okay?" she asked finally, "You seem pensive."

He ran a hand through his wet hair and shrugged, "Yeah, just…it's time to say goodbye, isn't it? No more Killian, no more Graham.'

Emma knew the real problem, "You'll be saying goodbye to your mom."

"She made her mistakes, she wants to make up for them….and I was laying there last night while you were sleeping and I realized that there was still a lot that I wanted to tell her. I won't have enough time before we're leaving."

"You have all day." Emma pushed his curls back.

"It won't be enough."

Emma frowned, "And then one day you'll have an eternity."

"Now there's a thought. Dying so I can tell my mother the rest of my life."

Emma smiled at his attempt at humor and kissed him, "She's safe, they're all safe. She apologized and you made it right. I'm proud of you for how you were. I know it was a lot for you to follow me down here and see her and Killian…and I know how much you've been there for Killian. I wanted to thank you, for all of it, for putting it aside and being the bigger person."

His eyes shone and he held her hand, "Come a long way."

"We both have. And probably have a long way to go still, but we're going to do it together and that's all that mattered."

He smiled, "There's so much to tell Henry."

Emma laughed, "So much."

He kissed her, Emma returned the kiss and rested her cheek against his.

Someone knocked on the door, Emma pulled pack and pulled her coat on before she answered it.

Killian's face fell, "Oh hi, Emma. Is Bae here?"

Emma looked over her shoulder to see Neal coming out of the bathroom, "Hey, what is it?"

He sighed, "I need to talk to you."

"What about?" Bae asked.

"Killian, what's wrong?" Emma asked

Killian looked at Emma, "She tells you everything. I heard you saying she does"

Emma felt the growing worry, "Yeah."

"Did she tell you that she didn't look for me like she should have when she was pregnant?"

Emma drew in a breath, Mina had sent messages and feelers out to the major ports but that had been it…and that was only in the last month when the baby was about due. It was something Emma couldn't bring herself to judge, not with her own past, "Yeah."

Killian shot her a death glare, "I need to talk to you, Neal."

Neal gave a very confused glance at Emma, "Okay."

Emma moved out of the way and watched as they were leaving.

Dammit.

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Rumpelstiltskin didn't really need much sleep since he became the Dark One. It was more of a perk than a necessity, and sleep had been something he had outright ignored for months at a time when he was trying to design the Dark Curse that would help him find his son.

But once he found Bae, he had taken to sleeping again. He had his son, he had his wife, he was sated to live as normally as he possibly could as he tried to find a way to live with his curse.

He couldn't just give the magic up, once he did, that left them all in a vulnerable position. If anything with Dark and Dracula taught him, it was that Emma still needed an ally with magic. Regina and Blue weren't powerful enough, she still needed him.

It was still a risk, but he had the stomach to do what needed to be done. Emma needed that, though she wouldn't admit it. Someone had to kill those that they couldn't. He didn't mind it so much. Better blood on his hands than theirs.

But once Gaston showed up and ruined everything, Belle hadn't gone with him to bed, and so Rumple couldn't sleep. He waited for the guilt to come about what he'd done to Gaston. Gaston was far below Belle, but what had he done that was worse than what Rumple had done? He would have seen Belle as a prize, he supposed. But Rumple had stopped that…by taking Belle has his own prize.

He had changed though, but the guilt didn't come. It was such a long time ago, and back then Gaston was nothing more than a fly buzzing around his head. He was a trespasser that didn't realize how hard the guard dogs bit when he crossed the fence.

He was an idiot who objectified Belle…but Rumple had taken his life before Gaston would have ever had the chance to redeem himself. He was a stupid idiot in over his head…and perhaps that was one of the reasons why Rumple couldn't feel guilt for what he did. People rarely felt bad for stupid people that did stupid things, how was this different?

Though he did know it was wrong.

Rumple thought about what he was going to say all night but nothing sounded good. He wouldn't lie to Belle, he had promised her he wouldn't twist words or give half-truths to her, that had been one of the things they'd discussed during their short engagement together.

He went into the hallway and watched as an annoyed Mina exited the room and walked the opposite way he was coming from He took in the pirate standing outside Neal and Emma's room and narrowed his eyes, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Killian snapped

Rumple kept the pirate's gaze as they stared each other down, "What did you do?"

"Mind your own business, crocodile," Killian snapped and went around him.

Rumple went down the hallway to the room he knew Belle chose to sleep in and knocked on the door. The door opened and he watched as Belle warily watched him, "Are you ready to talk?"

Belle opened the door for him to come in and he walked in and shut the door behind him.

"I know you were a different man back then," Belle started before he could talk, "But he- you could have told me."

"Belle, that was the day I let you go. That was the night everything happened," He looked at her pleadingly, "My mind was occupied on other things after that. I genuinely forgot all about him."

Belle was quiet, "I know you've changed. I know you realize it was wrong…and it…shouldn't surprise me that you probably don't care about what you did. But I did know Gaston; Since we were children. He was…he had his issues, and he probably would've made a terrible ruler but it was still a life."

"You're going to hear more and more of these stories about the things I've done."

"Rumple, that's the thing, I hear them every day when you're not around."

Rumple felt his temper flaring a bit then, "What?"

"People tell me, or they whisper about it, they just…they don't understand why I would choose you after the things you've done. But I choose you because I love you and I know you struggle against that curse every day."

Rumple sensed a 'but' coming, "But…"

"I knew him, I was to marry him, I get to be upset that he died. At least for a little while."

He sighed, "I don't want to hurt you when you hear these things."

"And that's some of the problem, Rumple. You're not…upset that you did it. You're upset it could result in losing me."

Rumple didn't think he'd lose her this time, not over this, "I'm sorry they come for you like that. I'm sorry you had to find out like that."

"I know. It's…just hard to hear it…and then I spent the day with Milah knowing what you did to each other and then Gaston came out of nowhere…."

He brushed some of her hair back, trying to comfort her. To his surprise, she let him.

"I don't have it in me to feel guilt for every single person I hurt," He admitted finally, "And I hate that I don't. I'm sorry that I don't. There are plenty that I do regret but….I can't summon it in me to feel for him, Belle. I've tried."

Belle sighed, "I know."

He reached for her hand and squeezed it, Belle didn't pull away.

"We need to work on going home," he told her, "I think we're going to start talking about how we're going to do that, today."

Belle nodded, "Okay."

"Okay," he kissed her temple, "Perhaps writing a letter will help? For your mother and Gaston? Your visit was interrupted; you should get to say whatever you need to say."

Belle thought it over, "I think that's a good idea."

He was glad he thought of it just now, "Me too."

Rumple gave her another kiss and went to leave the room. Time to get to work.

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Hades put Snow, Regina, and Henry in a small but cozy little room somewhere deep in the recesses of some caverns under the magnificent palaces that he kept for his family. There was something off about the room, Snow had felt that there was something off immediately and when she focused on it, she realized the room had no doors or windows. There also were no vents, so whatever air was in the room had to be pumped through magically.

"We have to come up with a plan," Regina said as she paced the room

Snow tried to think of something, "Can you get out through magic?"

"I can feel the repressing magic, I don't think I'd be able to get far even if I could leave the room," Regina started pacing again.

"Well, Hades has bought us time," Snow said.

"But why?" Henry asked, finally breaking his silence, "He can just use us himself."

Regina gave a grim look at Snow, "We're bait."

Snow really didn't think Henry should hear this, "Regina-."

"Hades could have killed us," Regina said obliviously, "Or he could have left…others to do it, but he didn't. He wants us alive for now which means we're bait. It means that we have to be smart if we want to make sure that we see our family."

Her eyes met Snow's and she didn't add what else she was thinking. Regina knew that's what they were planning to do, because that's what she herself would have done. And now they were down here trapped by their enemies and their family didn't even know they were here.

Snow saw Henry's hands shaking and she went to her grandson's side and took his hands in hers, "Henry…I know this must be terrifying, seeing Pan again." 

"I thought we were done," he looked up at her, "It was my fault, I shouldn't have snuck on the boat."

"Well it's done now," Regina snapped, "And we don't have time for regrets, we need a plan in place because there is a good chance they will be found and they'll be unprepared. We can't afford to be."

Snow nodded, "So, what do we do?"

Regina glanced at her son. Pan would want to rip him apart, and Regina would be damned before she let that happen. They had already done too much to him that she and Emma were trying to repair. This would only serve to set him back more if they escaped this alive.

"Pan will want Henry," Regina said quietly, "But my mother will want me, and to get me she knows that she has to keep Henry safe."

Snow looked over at Regina.

Regina bit the inside of the cheek, she had promised a long time ago when she got her chance that she would never use Henry again, but now she was going to have to break that promise.

"We turn them against each other," Regina said simply.

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In the time that Cora had spent with her daughter after the Daniel situation and the curse situation, she never would've anticipated Regina would ever choose Snow over her. Not in a million years did she think that was possible. Cora was her mother, and a daughter needed her mother to guide her.

Especially one as hopeless as Regina could be.

"They should have let us handle this in the first place," Pan muttered as he floated above her, legs crossed, head against his fist like he was bored, "I wasn't even told Rumple was here again."

"Well, they only let you know when your loved ones are dead…," Cora told him, "There isn't a protocol for what happens if the living come down here."

"Time to make some new policies," he stretched out, like he was laying down, "If they left it up to me, I would've taken care of my son first thing. It would have trapped them."

"You'd have hurt your son?"

"Well he's the one that _killed_ me."

Cora watched him with narrowed eyes, "Did he?"

"He never forgave me for taking my youth back and leaving him with people that were more equipped with taking care of him while I stayed on Neverland. It was better for everyone really. I even took in unwanted boys, they lived in paradise thanks to me."

Cora watched him with an unexpressive gaze, "It appears parenting is more of a hobby for you."

"I never said otherwise."

"He told me once that you tried to abandon him and he watched you die from debtors."

Pan sat up in the air, "And who are you to him?"

"We used to be intimate," Cora said.

"Are you Baelfire's mother?"

"Noooo, she came and went a long time ago."

"Oh, that's right, the one the pirate carried a flame for," Pan settled back in a lying position, "I didn't care enough to remember." 

Cora settled back to staring at the man waiting inside the office.

"What about you, mayor?" Pan asked, "How did you die?"

Cora sighed, her heart ached as she remembered those final moments, "My daughter replaced my heart that was cursed by Snow White and Rumpelstiltskin."

"Huh," Pan settled back to the ground, "I was right in thinking family was overrated."

Cora ignored him, "At any rate, you're right about one thing…if we'd been left to handle this in the first place, it wouldn't have come to this point."

Cora started up the steps into the office, Pan set himself down and walked behind her as she approached the man.

"Sir Gaston," Cora greeted with an empty smile, "It appears we could use your assistance."

00000000000000000000000000000000

In all his centuries of being alive, Neal didn't think he could ever say he might feel sorry for Killian Jones again after the things he had consistently did to hurt him. His attraction to Emma had kept Neal distracted and they never really got to try and work toward resolving anything that had happened between them.

Then his dad had died, and Killian worked with them to save everyone…then he sacrificed himself and Neal and he never really got the time they'd needed to talk. Sure, they'd resolved most of their conflict when they were in the Enchanted Forest and working towards the same goals but theirs was a complicated relationship. And it was going to take more than working towards the same goals to heal what had been hurt.

"She didn't look for you?" Neal exclaimed when Killian got him alone to talk to him, "Wow that's…. that's hard."

"Aye," Killian muttered bitterly and took a swig of his rum.

"Little early for that, isn't it?" Neal asked.

"I have all the time in the world," Killian muttered darkly and then sighed, "It was better it was me that died than letting Charming kill himself so we could all get to Emma. I know that."

"Don't say that," Neal whispered, "It was a hard decision for anyone to make."

"I didn't contribute much to any of you but the least I did was that. And then to find out I could have gotten a second chance, I could have had a family with her…but she didn't let me have the chance to know my own daughter…it's too much"

"It's not like she intentionally kept it from you," Neal reminded him.

"But she _intentionally_ didn't look as hard as she could have, which sounds pretty malicious to me, mate," Killian took another drink, "I wouldn't have been a perfect father, but I would've at least provided for both of them. I would've kept our family safe from anything that came our way."

"Maybe she didn't want to be a couple with you," Neal said which earned a glare from Killian, "How long were the two of you together?" 

"We knew each other for a week," Killian shrugged.

"Well," Neal gave up and poured himself a drink, "I know that's usually an eternity of dating for you, but-."

"It's plenty of time, we grew close and told each other things. Emma's parents fell in love over a day, they claim. It doesn't take long at all."

Neal felt his stomach tighten, "So is this going to be another love triangle? I don't feel comfortable with you getting between a trigger happy intense hunter and her possibly mentally ill husband"

First his mom, then his girlfriend, then his girlfriend's best friend, Killian needed a bigger dating pool.

"I didn't say I LOVED her, I just said we grew close…close enough that I had a right to know my little girl was going to be born."

Neal didn't know enough about the relationship to take sides, so he just let Killian vent, "I know from experience that it's a crappy feeling to know she kept your kid from you, but I also know from personal experience that she might have had her reasons."

"You say that like it lessens the blow. Besides, they're terrible reasons, she told them to me."

Not for him and Emma, not after what he did, and that was a feeling that was going to be carried for the rest of his life.

"And you have a right to be angry," Neal agreed, "But you two are both stuck here for a very long time...and you can either ignore and hate each other, or you can work it out."

"I can't forgive her, not for this."

"That's your choice but remember you've been forgiven for plenty," he wouldn't tell Killian what to do. But he also knew that Killian did very terrible things when he lost his temper. It'd be a bit hypocritical to hold someone else accountable.

Killian glared back at his drink and downed it, "Well, at least you get to make amends and watch your son grow up. I won't even get to see my baby. And the only thing she'll have of me are the moving recordings on that talking box that I made for her."

"That's better than what most others get," Neal told him.

Killian ran a hand through his hair, "Will you tell her I love her?"

"Of course."

"Tell her that I wanted to be a good dad for her."

"I will."

Killian swirled his empty glass in his hand, "At least she gets a chance away from the awful world we all grew up in."

"Maybe."

Killian slammed the glass down on the counter and stalked out of the room.

He heard a shout of protest and the swinging door flew open to reveal Belle, "Neal? We have a huge problem."

0000000000000000000000000000000000

Ever since Graham and Emma had had their confrontation about Regina and how he died, Emma had noticed that he preferred to stay close to his husband. She just hadn't gotten the chance to comment on it because everything had happened and the next thing they all knew, they were here on a farm that most of them would probably be spending the rest of eternity at unless they ended up in that asylum first.

No pressure.

So, when he came into her room while she was packing her things, it was a surprise. She almost felt herself blushing. They hadn't really discussed the kiss, and while that was a long time ago and both had clearly moved on, that kiss had come with consequences.

Consequences he probably wouldn't ever be able to forgive her for not punishing Regina over.

"Hi," Emma started.

"Hi," he said awkwardly.

Emma felt her chest ache, she wanted nothing more than to end this with some closure for him and at least an attempt to be friends. But she knew it could never be what it was.

"You need to come downstairs," he told her, "Th….Your mother and your son and that…woman are here."

Emma felt her heart slam in her chest, "WHAT?!"

She raced past him, her feet pounded the stairs, most everyone was already down there watching the broadcast.

Her dad stood up, face pale, "Emma…"

"How long has it been on?" Emma asked.

"It's been on repeat," Red sat next to her grandmother, knees up to her chest.

Emma met eyes with a grim Rumpelstiltskin and took a spot on the couch to watch.

Cora stood there, with her father's solemn faced twin and Pan. Emma felt the anger working up her stomach and she struggled to focus.

"….in the past few days, we've come under the invasion of the world of the living. It is my job as mayor of our district to keep all of you safe and I'm sorry to say that I've failed in that regard."

Emma struggled not to throw up, "Where's Henry?"

"Intruders," Cora continued near dramatically, "That infiltrated Monaxia and nearly unleashed the ancient Titans that would have destroyed us all"

Emma leaned closer to the TV, "Where's. Henry?"

"Wait for it," Red told her.

"We've recently come to acquire three of the intruders just this morning, thanks to our intelligence and surveillance. All three, I assure you are safe and we simply ask for the rest of their party and those helping them to reveal themselves so that their safety might be maintained."

Emma didn't even need to think about it, "Get her on the phone."

"Emma," Rumple warned quietly, "We need a strategy if we're going against Cora and Pan."

"Our strategies never work," Emma snapped and went for the phone, "What's the number?"

"We need some sort of plan," Killian said, "The crocodile's right."

"We're wasting too much time already," Emma said, "Who knows long long it's been, we don't know if they're alright, if they're safe….we could have taken too much time already for Cora. She could be ready to torture them right now."

"She won't torture her daughter."

"But she could be convincing her to come back to her side," Liam reminded them.

"Regina wont' do that again!" Red protested.

"Can you really be sure?" Graham spat.

Emma's mind was a whir, she couldn't grasp a plan, everything was in fragments, but she had at least two ideas that might form some sort of cohesive thought, "I need Mina down here."

Killian immediately stood up and went to the staircase.

"What are you doing?" Neal asked in a whisper.

"We have to…we have to propose some sort of trade off," Emma said, "And when we meet them, we have to ambush them and get our family back."

"That's not very heroic," Rumple told her.

"No, and that's the reason it's the last thing they'd expect from me."

"And if Hades is with them?"

"We'll have to do it fast then."

"And what are you going to offer?"

Emma put the phone to her ear, "Cora wants revenge, but if she wants to keep her position, she is going to have to give Hades something with this plan. So, I'm going to offer the person who helped kill both his sons. I'm going to offer myself."

"Emma, it's too risky," Neal told her.

"I don't have anything else. My mom is there too. If Regina turns as well….," Emma didn't want to think about it. Nothing would go right if she left them in Cora's care any longer than necessary, "I need all hands on deck."

"If this is a trap, you're putting us right back in Monaxia," Alex warned her.

Emma couldn't bring herself to think about that. Not after what her dad and the others had been through to get out.

Liam straightened, "I'll get in contact with my father, put him on standby in case we need him."

It was the first-time Liam had participated in the plan without any sort of reluctance. Emma saw a meaningful look pass between him and Graham as he passed his husband, "Thank you."

He moved out of the room.

"He's only doing it for Henry," Graham told her.

Emma knew Liam was angry, since they got here he lost his job, his brother lost his job and they were now public enemy number one. Liam hadn't made it a secret that he was angry that they would be left behind to face the consequences once the heroes left. Emma couldn't really blame him either.

"I know," she took a breath, "What's the number?"

0000000000000000000000000000000

Killian was so pissed at his child's mother that he didn't even know why he was going up to her and her dead husband's bedroom until he was halfway up the stairs, and by the time he realized what he was doing, it was far too late to come down and demand someone else go up there and get her.

They didn't have time. Not if Henry was in danger.

He could just imagine the Dark One's face right now, or even Mina's father as he went upstairs as soon as Emma asked for Mina. There was something intimately familiar about that, and he didn't want to think about it. Not when the insane husband was on the other side of the door.

Not when she knew he'd spent the night with Milah.

Since they'd fought, Killian hadn't seen her. He knew she'd gone back to her room and that was it. She was probably reuniting with her husband and he felt a bit of jealousy growing in his belly. He'd told her things, she'd had his baby. They had something, no matter how angry he was at her decisions, and how angry she'd be if she knew more about him, they were bound now and he felt things he knew he could never admit.

He hesitated at the door and strained to listen. He didn't hear anything, maybe they were quiet lovers.

He knocked on the door, but didn't hear an answer. The doorknob turned in his hand and he opened the door.

Both of them were sleeping (and clothed, he noticed). Jonathan's arms were wrapped protectively around Mina's waist. Mina's arms were around his neck in an embrace. This was wrong, it was intrusive for him to be here to see both of them this vulnerable, he almost didn't feel right.

Whatever, he'd seen her sleeping before. And he told himself he didn't owe the husband anything. It didn't do much to make him feel better.

He knocked harder on the doorframe, "Mina!"

She shot up from the bed with a startled cry, she had a knife from downstairs in her hand. She looked around in confusion and then her eyes settled on him, "Killian?"

"We have a problem."

She dropped the knife and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, "What are you even bloody well-."

"Emma needs your help."

Mina's head shot up, eyes clear. She immediately stood up and grabbed some clothes. She went behind a changing partition and was ready in under a minute.

"What's going on?" Jonathan demanded.

Killian didn't expect Jonathan to really know much of the context, "We don't have time to go into detail. Her boy's in danger."

"A boy's in danger? Well I'm going with you," Jonathan stood.

"Absolutely not," Mina pulled on her jacket and came out from around the partition.

"Don't worry, lad," Killian gave him an arrogant smirk meant to get under his skin. He couldn't help himself, "I'll keep her safe."

"Don't be a twat," Mina snapped as she passed him, "We're not playing THAT game."

"Mina!" Jonathan called behind her.

"You spent eight years in a tiny room. There will probably be a fight and I can't do what I do and protect you. Stay on the farm" she yelled back and ran down the stairs.

Killian followed her, "I didn't mean it like THAT, love."

"Just stop, you absolutely did," Mina met Emma halfway up the stairs, "What happened?"

"Henry, my mom, and Regina are here. Cora has them, so does Pan."

Mina watched her for a moment and nodded, "I only know who Pan is. What's the plan, then?"

Emma was pale, "I need someone to watch my back. How are you with a sniper?"

"Emma," Charming snapped.

"Just to put them down," Emma said, "And only if we need it."

"I prefer a Remington Rolling Block," Mina told him.

"I don't know what that is," Emma admitted.

"I do," Rumple summoned one and handed her a heavy bag, "Be aware, dearie, Cora will be expecting an ambush."

"She's Regina's mother," Emma nodded, "She'll be expecting magic."

"So will Pan."

"That's why we're lucky to have two hunters," Rumple said.

"Wha-," Mina turned to see her father with a gun like hers, "Bloody hell…."

"It's been decided dearie," Rumple told her, "All hands on deck."

"Not everyone," Liam said and nodded to his husband, "We're staying here."

Emma saw how grim the Huntsman was and realized that she was about to be faced with a bigger problem than what she realized.

What was she going to do if she brought Regina here to hide?

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The minutes felt like they were hours long during the captivity in the doorless windowless room, but when Cora and Pan came in to retrieve them, Regina would have given anything to just stay in there rather than face what those two had in store for them.

"Emma is offering herself," Cora told her daughter as they found themselves standing on what Regina could see was a dock. There were buildings on her left, water on her right. Regina could see a mix of modern and old boats docked, hardly moving. She wondered how the fishing was in the Underworld, "I wanted all of them but Hades seemed satisfied with just that much."

"So," Regina started and looked at her former step daughter, "You don't get Snow if you don't get part of the team….and Emma's a fraction, not a part….so I guess you lose."

Cora tensed, "She still has to make it to Styx, doesn't she? Hades didn't say anything about letting her leave peacefully, just that we had to turn her over peacefully."

"Cora," Snow whispered tearfully, "Cora, I knew what I did was wrong as soon as I did it. I tried to stop Regina from giving you that cursed heart."

"You didn't run fast enough," Cora told her with narrowed eyes.

"Snow was quiet, "I'm so sorry for what I did."

"I had my heart back," Cora told her, "I missed out on my opportunity with my daughter."

"Mother, you wanted power before you removed your heart," Regina ached to have her mother's approval. It shouldn't still be there but deep down she wanted to know from the mother that had removed her heart for power that it had been a mistake, that she had actually been wrong in what she'd done. A death confession had opened that door of real possibility but she'd spent the last few hours wrestling with how wrong she might have been.

"I was still robbed of getting to know you."

"You did know me," Regina said, "You knew me all my life. It's easy for you to say I was enough after I did everything you wanted but would I have been enough if I married Daniel and never became queen? Would it have been enough-?"

"Darling, I did not fall in love with the Dark One and learn his magic for nothing. You would have never been happy as a stable boy's wife. I was part of that life, remember? You would have gone hungry every night, cold every winter, and if you didn't die in childbirth, you'd have children you couldn't possibly afford. You would have broken regardless of if you married him or not, you would have come crawling back to me, but by then it would have been too late. I admit that killing Daniel was...cruel but I didn't have my heart then. I'm sorry I hurt you like that, but I believed I was doing what was best for you at the time. Look at how far you've come. You got your son…"

"…and if I recall, you didn't regret a single thing you did because it got you him," Pan muttered, glaring murderously down at the quiet boy.

"I never got to make it up to you," Cora said, "Because of what _she_ did. Now I also have to admit that murdering Johanna in that clock tower was also cruel, but why should I get punished when my daughter never was?"

"I knew she was good."

"Oh child, she did a nice thing by saving you three decades ago and you base all your actions on that when it comes to figuring out her punishment…only to not do it."

"Yeah, why should we die and Regina live?" Pan demanded.

Regina glared, "I didn't have anything to do with YOUR death. Your little boy did."

"Stop," Cora held out her hand and watched as several people appeared in purple smoke, "They're here."

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Emma was immediately sat on edge when she saw her mother standing there with her son and son's other mother. And there they were, Cora and Pan, a pairing that Emma never really thought about nor expected.

"Savior," Pan smirked, "You're looking…well…something. Older definitely. Not as bad as your dad though, gods, what happened to you?!"

Charming was agitated, Emma put her hand on his wrist. He was like a rubber band ready to snap as she saw his wife standing so close to the woman that wanted her dead. One wrong move and all this went belly up…the living could die; the dead could end up in Monaxia…or they could have the farm overrun. None was something Emma wanted to happen.

But was it only a matter of time after they were gone?

The plan was simple, Emma would give herself over for an exchange. She knew the mayor and Pan couldn't do anything to them without Hades signing off on it. It was a gamble that paid off, Hades would be more interested in the woman responsible for both his sons dying than anyone else. If he left Cora and Pan to make the exchange, it gave them the advantage; when she met Cora, Emma was only starting to understand she had magic. When she dealt with Pan, she was just starting to use it. If it was just them, then Emma could use her magic to escape. If charms were put in to place to prevent that, Mina and her father were upstairs with rifles ready to take down Cora and Pan if they had to.

It wasn't heroic but the villains had an advantage in that they knew the territory, they had Hades approval, and they were dead. Nothing that the heroes did could hurt them permanently...she thought. Rumple had said that it wouldn't hurt them.

Then she remembered that Pan was his dad and Cora was his ex and he was now given some opportunity to get rid of them.

"Henry?" Emma's heart broke when she looked at her son, "Are you alright?"

"They're going to kill us if we can't escape fast enough," Henry yelled before Cora took his voice.

Emma stiffened and fought an urge to throw a fireball at Cora's face, "It's going to be alright."

Emma took a step forward, Red went behind her, "Red and I are going to cross, Red's going to make the exchange and help my family get back."

"Fine, I'll do it on our side" Pan grabbed Henry by the collar, prompting Emma to move faster. It wasn't until she felt Neal and Red's hands on her arms that she calmed down. He was doing this on purpose. He was trying to get a rise out of them, he was trying to make them slip up.

Emma got her emotions together and walked calmly to her son. It felt unnatural, she felt like she was faking this walk. She must look ridiculous.

Emma looked back at Granny, who had a crossbow trained on Pan.

"She won't be able to make the shot," Red told her as they walked down the street to make the exchange, "Not without endangering Henry."

Emma knew it as well, Pan could catch arrows. So, could Cora. And all they had to do was pull Henry or Snow or Regina in the way to take shot for themselves.

"It's going to be okay" Emma told Henry as they got closer.

One wrong move by the villains, that's all the excuse Emma gave the hunters.

She purposefully didn't look towards the window she knew they were watching from.

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"He's manhandling the boy," Alexander said with worry in his voice.

Mina kept her sights trained on Cora's back, next to her Killian stood watching through his spyglass at their blonde savior. He was their lookout, he was the one ready to tip them off if it was a trap or they needed to strike "Has Emma given the signal yet?" 

"No, but she's almost there," Killian told her.

Mina wanted to move her scope and check on Emma, but it was too risky. Magic was a deadly thing in this world and one move too slow, one distraction could get someone killed. She went with the plan, she kept her focus on Cora, ready to pull the trigger once Emma gave the signal.

The bitch was dead, she'd be fine.

"It's too rough," her father muttered

"Emma will give the signal if there's real trouble," Mina said confidently.

Her father also kept his gaze on Peter Pan, "The man that started all this when he abandoned Rumpelstiltskin...he's smaller than I thought he'd be."

"Perhaps we should focus on the mission at hand," Mina said uncomfortably, "And not our odd little extended family that I only knew about three weeks ago."

The room was immediately filled with tension. Mina knew the hypocrisy in her words but she refused to take her face away from the scope to see what face Killian was probably making about her family secret.

Her father was quiet for a moment, "Even if I had told you about my past, he still would have killed me."

"We had a right to know," Mina supposed they were doing this now. There wasn't much going on.

"You…did, I suppose," he told her, "But when my daughter comes to my room crying at the monster under her bed, how will she feel safe knowing in some parts of some worlds those are real?"

"Lying doesn't make someone safe."

"Neither does telling the complete truth," he told her.

"It doesn't get you married either," she said pointedly. That was the sticking point for her. Her mother would never have married her father if she was told monsters existed. She wouldn't believe him, she'd think he was mad. So, he lied, so he could marry her and then he got killed when Mina was sixteen, her life fell apart when Dracula came for her five years later.

Alexander sighed, "I didn't…not tell your mother just to keep her if that's what you think. Perhaps at first but I didn't tell her because I wanted her to feel safe. I didn't want her to know about the twisted things I'd seen and you've seen. I never wanted that for either of you. Your mother would've wanted to share that burden, she would've wanted to know everything…and that's only if she did believe me. I didn't tell her because I wanted both of you safe, I wanted you happy. It's hard to have those things when you know that underbelly exists closer to you than you'd like to think."

"Perhaps mother would've believed me when I told her what that bastard did to Jonathan if you'd be honest," Mina told him, but she felt the fight bleeding out of her. She didn't even want to hold him accountable. She knew he couldn't have known Dracula would come back. He couldn't have known that he'd be killed on a business trip and they'd never find him. But these were her feelings and she wanted him to know what they were, "Instead she overreacted. I faced running away or joining an asylum and now here I am; broken by 21, dead at 28 and leaving my baby without her parents."

"I didn't know that would happen."

"I know, but it still did."

He drew in a breath, "I did everything I could to be a good father and a good husband. I provided for you and your mother. You and she wanted further educations and so I provided that as much as I possibly could. You both were loved with everything I had in me. You were safe, and fed, and happy. Is that to be destroyed in an instant because I didn't share the burden of you knowing how terrible the world out there really is? Am I a bad husband because my wife doesn't know the terrible unwinnable decisions I had to make to survive and ensure others survived as well? You weren't a dark hunter, were you?"

Mina was taken aback by the question, tears blurred her vision and she quickly blinked them away, Emma was about to make the exchange, "No."

"Then I'm sure you know about some of those decisions yourself. I'm sure you've made them. Will your daughter grow to know about those if you'd lived? "

"Perhaps if you had been honest, I would have been ready when he came," she whispered, "I could have fought him."

"Darling," he said and nearly looked over before correcting himself, "No one could have fought him there in that place…no matter what you knew or what little skills I'd have taught you. It wouldn't have been enough, nothing would have been…not until you…clearly found out the secret of what his weakness was."

"Emma's crossed over," Killian said, interrupting them. He kept his voice steady and so she didn't know what he was thinking, "She said she'd summon her magic, then they'd-."

He trailed off. Mina nearly took her gaze away from her sight to ask what was wrong when she felt him slam into her. Mina's confusion made her lose balance, and she lost her grip on her rifle and crashed into her father.

The glass broke above her. Killian covered her with himself to keep the glass from cutting her.

An arrow had embedded in the wall.

They were found.

Before Killian could pull himself off her, the door to the office they'd set up at flew open. Mina took in what was clearly the Charming twin with a gun in his hand. The man looked at the sleeping office manager tucked under the desk and sighed, "Really? A sleeping charm?"

"Hello James," Killian said as if they were meeting on the street and not on opposite sides of an ambush.

"If you get up, Gaston will fire again," he told them simply

Killian met Mina's gaze and carefully shifted his weight, giving Mina the room she needed to arch her back slightly off the floor. Wedged between her back and the floor was a revolver that she was sure could get the twin in the calf with before he even realized it was there.

A larger man came into the office then, holding a spear.

No one recognized him.

"Oh, this is the Behemoth," James smirked, "You don't know him, but he's the one that killed me. We've made up."

Bloody hell, well then….

Mina pulled the trigger aimed for James's foot,, down he went, screaming and cursing as he did so

Now they had this bastard to worry about.

Mina saw her father do a quick analysis of the rifles laying on the ground. They were too big, they wouldn't be able to take him down. There wasn't enough room

Mina kept her revolver on the giant of a man, Killian had his flintlock pistol trained on him as well, "Best you get down with your head on your hands."

He dropped the spear with a grunt. Mina and Killian refused to lower their guns. It was too easy.

"Knife!" Her father warned, the behemoth threw it, embedding in her father's shoulder. Mina fired two rounds, making the bastard stumble back before she got one good blade in her hand.

Fine. Mina hadn't had a real fight in a good while.

She pulled the knife out of her hand and flip it around to be her new weapon. She watched her father do the same. Killian got between her and her enemy and put his hook in between her and this giant, like he or his little metal hook could hope to protect her.

"Rip them apart!" James screamed, clutching his foot.

The Behemoth charged.

So, did they.

Somehow despite it being three on one, it was bloody well evened out.

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Emma knew that something wrong the minute the window broke. She had been expecting an ambush on her ambush, but as she passed from her son to the side of the villains, she had thought maybe Cora and Pan were under orders to just take her.

Then the window broke, then there were gunshots and screaming, Emma was distracted just for a millisecond. She turned to find herself face to face with Cora.

"How heroic," She spat and send Emma flying. It happened in slow motion, Emma was flying through the air, aimed for a sickening impact to a brick wall.

Then she remembered she had magic, and she knew how to get around it already. She turned to face the wall, disappeared right before she hit it, and summoned herself behind Cora; finishing Cora's throw into a tackle against herself.

Both women went down. Cora tried to use her magic to throw Emma off but Red was by her side in an instant and forced Cora's hands by her sides, "You make one move and I'll break them."

An arrow sailed over Emma's head. Emma looked up to see a man she didn't know dressed a lot like Gaston from the Beauty and the Beast cartoon with an arrow aimed at Rumple.

The arrow, of course went through Rumple…. because Rumpelstiltskin wasn't truly there with him. It was an illusion courtesy of some simple magic. Emma had known that Cora would expect an ambush, she had to have an ambush of the ambush of the ambush…and that was where Rumpelstiltskin came in.

Snow and Neal had grabbed Henry and taken off. Emma watched as Gaston lifted up his bow and arrow to fire at the retreating figures.

A fireball hit him in the back, the size and the force sent him sprawling face first in the dirt.

Rumpelstiltskin kept another fireball in his hands. He burned the bow and arrow next to Gaston, "Dearie, as a favor to your former fiancé, you best leave. This is too much for you, you're in over your head."

Gaston jumped up, sword in hand. He swung at Rumpelstiltskin who easily dodged it.

"Revenge is a fool's game, you know what I'm capable of."

"Then do something, you coward!" He screamed and lunged again.

"I promised my wife I would not. Not if you're not a threat, and dearie, you will never be a threat to me."

Rumple toyed with him broadly for a few more seconds before Charming jumped in with his own sword. Gaston blocked it and looked in confusion, "James?!"

"YOU JUST TRIED TO SHOOT MY WIFE," Charming screamed and swung his own sword. Gaston was driven back out of Charming's rage that someone would dare attack his fleeing family like that.

"This is tedious," Cora whispered from her position on the ground.

Emma realized a second too late that she was distracted…Cora released a wave of magic that sent both Red and Emma skittering across the concrete. Emma tried to stop herself but her head smashed into a car, dazing her.

Cora went to Red first, "You put your hands on me, you mutt, how dare you."

Granny sent an arrow towards Cora. Cora burned it up without looking at it and continued to stalk Red.

Red staggered up and turned to face Cora.

"I can smell it on you," Cora sneered, "Your lot always smell like wet dogs."

Red's eyes flashed dangerously, "You won't win this."

"I don't have to win," Cora laughed, "You just have to lose."

Cora didn't see Regina behind her until it was too late. Emma pulled herself to a squatting position, ready to defend Red if need be when Regina plunged her hand into her mother's back. Emma didn't need to see Regina's hand to know it closed around her heart.

"No," Regina growled, "You put your hands on my son, you worked with the boy that would've killed him. You will NOT touch _her_ too."

Cora gasped, "Regina…what are you doing? I'm your mother…."

"I know, and that's why I can't bring myself to kill you like this, not again."

She released her mother's heart, Cora crumbled at her feet.

There was a moment that passed between Red and Regina. Emma didn't know much about what was going on other than Red was having a really hard time lately. Regina supported her and in a weird way it felt like she was guiding her through something Emma wasn't privy to….and somehow it felt like this was part of that.

Red stood up and kissed Regina, Regina returned it and hugged her.

"I'm so glad you're safe," Red told her.

Regina pulled back, "Where's Pan?" 

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Snow had been in battles before, she led front lines when they were trying to take back her kingdom. She was trained in strategies and what she didn't' learn from a book, she learned up close.

She was ready to fight if need be, but Red had whispered that there was a plan in place, and it was up for her and Neal to get Henry as far away as possible. So, she did, not because she liked fleeing battles but because this was Emma's plan and she trusted Emma.

"Where are we going?" Snow asked as they raced toward a parking lot.

"To a safe house that my dad knows about," Henry said, "Until the fight dies down."

Snow panted and kept hold of Henry's hand. He was keeping up far easier than her. She had let herself get out of shape after having her baby, it was time she get back on that.

Something slammed against Neal from behind and sent him sprawling. Snow only needed to see a bit of green in the corner of her eye to know who it was.

Her arms wrapped around Henry and she ducked as Pan doubled back and flew low. He had a blade in hand. She ducked just before he rammed it into her neck. Not choosing to think about that near miss, her hand closed around his wrist and she used his momentum to throw him against the wall.

He slammed into it, back first but it didn't seem to hurt him. He hovered over both of them, "You and I have unfinished business, Henry Mills."

"You're going to have to get through me first," Snow told him.

"You don't get a choice in that," he shot at her again. Snow didn't have any weapons on her, just her fist. He went overhead, jamming his blade towards her shoulder. She shoved Henry down so he wasn't hurt. She felt the knife enter her shoulder. The pain was agonizing and her left arm was now probably useless. But he was close enough and she brought her right fist up hard, right between his legs.

He yelped and drove that knife harder into her shoulder. Snow lost her balance and fell hard to the ground.

Neal was on Pan's back in an instant, Pan lifted himself and Neal off the ground and slammed Neal back first into the wall. He fell from a height, Snow heard his leg snap as he landed and rolled.

Then Pan was on Henry. Henry managed to grab Pan's wrist to keep himself from being stabbed, but Pan grabbed the scruff of Henry's neck and they both started to rise off the ground.

Snow saw Neal crawling after them. She stood to help, her hand clutched her shoulder as she raced to stop him from getting any altitude. Her arms closed on Henry's waist and there was a tug of war for only an instant before backup came.

Regina and Emma were there in an instant. Emma yanked Henry out of Pan's arms while Regina sent a fireball right into Pan's stomach that sent him flying up.

"Henry," Emma wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"Mom!" He returned the embrace.

"He's getting away!" Regina snapped.

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Somehow the office man slept through the whole battle and remained unscathed. That was the first thing Mina realized as she lay with several broken ribs after they all fought the Behemoth.

It was a bloody brutal fight. One that they were all smarting from. Mina couldn't think about that now, she had her job to focus on.

She shoved the large leg of the unconscious man off her and stumbled for the window. Each step sent waves of agony through her body. She almost didn't make it but Emma needed her help. Emma had given her this job to do. Henry and her mother were in danger.

Mina saw that they'd all had their own fight. She couldn't see Cora, but she saw Charming tying up a strange man that she didn't recognize. She saw the wolf and her grandmother talking together…she saw Milah gathering weapons.

She didn't see the others, not at first.

Then in the sky, from an alley, she saw Pan flying. He was literally smoking, like he was on fire.

He couldn't get away.

Unsteady, Mina's hand closed around one of the Rolling Blocks that had bene discarded during the fight. She set it up, looked through the sight, she could see it was windy, and he was high in the air…any miscalculation and she'd miss and risk hurting someone below him.

She straightened herself, steadied her hands, released her breath….

And pulled the trigger.

The loud noise filled the room, Mina gripped the broken window to keep from falling. The glass from the window cut her fingers but ignored it for now.

Pan's head jerked where the bullet hit him, and he was falling. She'd gotten him.

She released the window and felt herself falling backwards. She back hit the floor, and she let out a grunt of pain as she landed.

She looked at Killian, who had a broken nose and was missing several teeth, "Killian, I think they all lived.

He clutched his side, "That's wonderful, lass."

Mina looked at her father, who was holding himself up on the desk and had seen the shot. One eye was closed, Mina didn't know if he even had an eye left, but he'd seen her take the shot.

"I'm proud of you, little one," He told her.

It was words she thought she'd never hear again from him. The last time she'd heard them, she'd mastered the Latin Language. Then he'd gone off on a business trip and never come back, she'd never hear him approve of her again.

Hearing it now, she didn't stop herself from sobbing.

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Rumpelstiltskin spent the next five minutes rounding up the wounded and healing them. Cora had gotten away, so had James, but Rumpelstiltskin wasn't REALLY invested in either one of them. He was invested in someone else who he would be dealing with shortly.

What mattered was that his people…his…family was safe. They were wounded and broken a bit, but they were safe. They were alive. It was more than what he really expected.

He left the unconscious Behemoth and Gaston tied up, he met his family back in the alleyway Pan had tried to take Henry at.

Emma and Regina were both close to Henry. He looked over his son but other than his now healed broken leg, he was fine.

Rumple was even nice enough to give Killian his smile back, that wash is good deed for the century.

"We should probably start heading back," Charming told them, his arms were wrapped around his wife, "Before we're found."

"I think we drew in enough attention to ourselves that Hades would have sent his minions here if he was really wanting to," Emma muttered.

"So then, why hasn't he?" Snow asked.

"He probably has another agenda, one we don't want to be around for," Rumple straightened his tie, "We still have time to do what we need to do."

"It feels wrong," Snow whispered.

Rumple looked at her, "There's no other way. Pan tried to kill you, he tried to take Henry. We have to deal with him while we have him. None of you have to go with me, this is something I have to do. He'll be a thorn in our side for eternity if we let him."

"I'm going with you," Alex volunteered.

"So am I," Red volunteered.

"Red," Regina warned.

"Just to make sure they're not captured. I'm not going to torture him."

"It won't take long," Rumple told them, "But this has to be done. We can't have him down here waiting for our family and the rest of the Lost Boys when they pass and arrive down here."

Emma didn't like this either, but she knew she wasn't going to change Rumple's mind…and when she'd found what Pan had tried to do to her mom, boyfriend and son….why should she bother? He wasn't going to change.

"Just get it over with," Emma muttered.

Rumple nodded and disappeared with Red and Alex.

"Let's get supplies," Emma muttered.

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Rumpelstiltskin had prided himself that he had the stomach to do what the others didn't want to. It was a fact that had saved the heroes multiple times. It had led to his death to stop Pan and so now here they were, standing here staring at his father's youthful face again.

Rumple reached into Pan's skull and extracted the bullet. He healed it with his hand, which immediately brought Pan back gasping for air. Rumpelstiltskin stepped back and watched as Pan pulled himself on his knees to face them.

"Hello laddie," he smirked.

Rumple just stared at him, "Papa, you could have had a second chance." 

"You took my life from me."

"You were going to take my family from _me,"_ he snarled, "I didn't let you the first time, do you really think you would've gotten away with it the second?"

Rumple raised his hand. The dirt in the woods behind where Pan was kneeling started unearthing. Pan looked behind him and his eyes widened when he saw that the hole was six feet deep and a coffin had been summoned at the bottom.

"Wait, laddie-."

"No," Rumpelstiltskin told him, eyes raging, "You put your hands on my grandson. Bae told me what you did to him. You tried to kill my family again today and you ask the Dark One for mercy?"

"You can't do this."

Rumpelstiltskin let out a breath, "You can't be out when we die and come back here."

"I'm your father."

"And I was your son. But family never mattered to you."

"Stop."

"You get what you want," Rumple told him, "You get to keep your youth and there will never be those to tell you what you should do again. You even have enough room to fly a bit when you're bored."

"Rumple-."

Rumple waved his hand. The magic knocked Pan backwards, he fell into the hole and the coffin door slammed shut.

Alex looked at his father, "Are we covering it?"

"No, I'm not putting us through that," Rumpelstiltskin used his magic to close the hole up. Pan's screams immediately became muffled.

"You did this to your own dad," Red looked over at him.

"Does that bother you, dearie? You know what he'll do if given the chance…"

"I just…wish there could have been a better way."

Rumple's hand shook slightly and he struggled to keep his face impassive, "As do I."

He took them home.

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"I'm surprised you didn't go," Killian told Mina as they both stood guard outside the grocery store.

Mina took the cigarette from her mouth and blew out a puff of smoke, "Seemed redundant. A hunter there, a wolf's there, and the Dark One's there. I doubt he'll get away."

"Is it because your father went that you didn't tag along?"

"No, I think we're...I think we're alright," she said hesitantly and looked up at him, "What do you think?"

"I think parent children relationships are complicated, lass," he took a sip of his rum.

Mina was quiet, 'Only if one knows about their children."

He watched her, "Aye."

Mina drew in a heavy breath, she closed her eyes and gathered himself, "I'm very very sorry I didn't look for you harder."

Killian studied her, he heard the grief in her voice, she wasn't as good a liar as to fake this, "Were you really going to just give her up?"

"Yeah," Mina told him, "I just…I suppose I couldn't see myself as a healthy mother."

"What changed your mind?"

Mina thought about it, "I suppose I sat still long enough to realize I was in no shape to do that life much longer. I wanted to be her mom…but she was also my way out. Ironically, I thought I should settle down and be a mother before I got myself killed."

He kept his gaze on her, "Was I really so bad?"

"No," Mina told him, "But I'd heard stories."

"I was trying to be better than those stories you'd heard. I've had setbacks, I'd gone back on that but I was trying to be better…and you knew that."

Mina ran a hand through her hair, "I did."

"Is that why you didn't look for me as hard as you could have? Because you were scared I'd regress?"

"It was a lot of reasons," Mina finally admitted, "You could have regressed…you could have refused to have a place in her life….and I would have had to tell my daughter when she was old enough something along the lines that you were either dead or didn't want her."

"Did it ever occur to you that I did?"

"Yes," she said, her voice small, "And I've been to those pirate towns. I've seen those little houses where the wives, and girlfriends, and children sit in one place waiting every day for those men to come home. And sometimes through abandonment and death, they never do. I couldn't put her through that sort of a life. It's agonizing knowing your father's not coming back and still hoping he might anyway…like maybe there's some sort of mistake and he was just jailed or delayed…or he lost his memory. Could I put her through that? No."

"I wouldn't leave you in one of those places."

"And what if I didn't want to be with you? I can only imagine the hell you'd raise if I got Lizzie another potential father when I dated someone else."

"It also meant, you would relinquish some control, I think," Killian told her, "And after what you've been through, I think giving up some of that control that scares you more than anything else."

Mina kept his gaze but he saw that maybe he'd hit his mark. Maybe all her reasons were true. They probably were. But she'd spent 8 years free, and to rely on someone else to any extent was something Mina would never feel comfortable with.

Not after Dracula took that control away from her.

"I'm sorry," Mina told him again.

He had been determined to be angry at her for a very long time, but he found himself sighing as he started to forgive her. He didn't expect he'd forget it though. It would definitely come up in fights

Killian brushed some hair back from her face, "I really cared about you up there."

"I know. I cared about you too," she pulled away, "But we can't now."

Killian let his hand drop, "He's not the man you married anymore. And you're not the woman he married."

"I know," Mina knew that very well, it was part of why she hadn't suggested making love to him yet. He was a different man now, and she needed to get to know him again, "But he died because he was trying to save me. He deserves far better than what he got and I want to see how this goes."

"He deserves to be happy," Killian admitted. For all his jealousy, he didn't feel any ill will towards the man, he just knew that this was going to implode if she wasn't careful, "Is he…alright?"

Mina tried to find the right words, "Right now he needs someone to help him feel safe before he has a wife"

"And if it doesn't work."

"Then I suppose you're up for an option," Mina put the last of her cigarette out.

"I'm not used to being second choice."

"Why not, Captain? With Milah rejecting you, aren't I yours?"

"I think it's more complicated than that."

"It certainly is."

Both stepped away from the other when the automatic doors opened up and Emma came through. She looked over both of them, almost amused as they both stood around trying not to look like they'd been doing something wrong, "Everything okay?"

"Perfect," Mina told her, "Let's get to the farm."

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It was with great reluctance that Hades let Melinoë stand in there with he and Persephone as they questioned James about the events of today. He had figured he might as well, James would tell her anyway and she would worry about her little sheriff toy until he let her see him

"They worked like a unit today," James finished, "Even when separated, they had a plan and they worked to keep each other safe."

"And they're all reunited?" Persephone asked

"Yes."

Melinoe's hand nearly went to James's but she hesitated, "Are we going to look for them?"

"No," Hades said after a minute, "That many people in a secluded area together? Bound to be some bad blood."

"Not if they leave tonight," Persephone reminded him.

"I don't think that'll be the case," Hades told them, "They're tired, they just had a big fight and a lot of reuniting of enemies. They'll want to lick their wounds."

"And will we stop them?"

"Not directly," Hades took a sip of his wine, "I'm not losing people on a team that can pull it together, put their differences aside and fight outside forces in less than an hour"

"So, is this all that we accomplished?" Melinoë demanded, "We put their enemies out there just to see how well they'd fight?"

"Oh darling," Persephone stroked her hair, "Knowing how your enemy will react in a conflict is key to knowing _them_."

"So, are we going to war?" she asked.

"No," Hades tugged his daughter's hair, "I'll not lose my kids to a group of people that can fight well and kill gods."

"Then….how do we get justice?"

"Your brothers were terrorizing humans, love, they were doing to women what Zeus did to your mother."

Melinoë was confused, "So...then will everyone know that they can just kill our family and there won't be consequences?" 

"Oh, there will be consequences," Persephone told her, "Just not from us."

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Emma got enough food to help make a feast for tonight to celebrate the fact that they were all reunited and they could all go home. She was planning it now. They were going to eat tonight, they were going to party, then they were going to have a big breakfast and they were going to return to Storybrooke.

Emma had done what she set out to do. She brought Mina home, she even reunited her with her family. Yes, there was the chance they'd be found out. Yes, there was the chance they could end up back in that asylum. But they were living with the others, they would be fine.

Emma passed Rumple as he stood in front of Belle, he held both her hands, "I spared Gaston, I spared all of them….but there's something I did do. I need to tell you about it."

Belle nodded, "Okay."

Emma watched as Jonathan came out to kiss his wife. Mina smiled and returned the kiss, "Hi."

"Hi." He checked her over and then looked at Henry.

Without a word, Jonathan stepped forward and gave Henry a bearhug. Mina stepped forward, "Darling, that might be inappropriate"

"Uh...," Henry was confused, "Hi….have we met?"

"I'm glad you're safe," he told him and walked back to his wife.

"Oh…," it dawned on Henry, "Is this Jonathan?" 

"Yeah."

Jonathan got excited, "You know about me?!"

Emma smiled a bit, but froze when she saw Graham come out on the porch with Liam. His eyes went on Regina and his face hardened. Crap, in the chaos, she had forgotten about this…

It happened in slow motion, Emma watched as Graham spotted Mina's revolver tucked in the back of her waistband. He lunged, his hand closed over the gun and he pulled it out.

"Graham-." Emma raised her hand to magic the gun away.

But Graham was too fast.

He raised the gun to Regina.

And pulled the trigger.


	8. 4B E07 - In Search of Regina Part 1

**WARNING: THIS CHATPER HAS SEVERAL REFERENCES TO RAPE.**

 **2 and a Half Years Ago**

When Liam Jones saw Graham for the first time, he hadn't thought much of him, he was a sad drunk at the bar that Liam had owned for over three centuries. The days came and went, Liam saw thousands like him in the time that he had been there.

He was just a new face in a sea of them, he didn't notice him the first time or the second or third one either. In fact, he really couldn't say how many times Graham had come into the bar before he felt curious and wanted to know more. He never noticed anyone that just passed through to curiously try something new. The regulars however, he made it a point to know them and that sort of friendliness kept them coming.

That and the unshakable knowledge that he wasn't going to cross over anytime soon. At least as long as his brother was alive in the overworld.

But eventually Liam did notice him. He noticed that Graham drank cheap, he noticed that Graham never had anything to do with the others that sat around and told the same old stories that they all took comfort in hearing and telling. He never caused any trouble; he didn't play games…he didn't do anything but sit and drink

And then one night, Liam took his chance. It was slow on account of it being…slow season in the underworld for fishing and Graham still came. He was one of three there, plus Liam's sister. Milah didn't count much for conversation, he lived with her for centuries. They knew everything about each other.

And well, he was bored of the regulars anyway.

So, Liam sent him over a drink, Graham always drank the cheap stuff from the tap, Liam had a something a little fancier that the less educated men here didn't usually drink.

It didn't take Graham long to come over, "That's not mine, I didn't order that."

"I know, it's a gift."

"From who?"

"No one really, just me."

"Why?"

Liam shrugged, "Don't know you, but you come in here every night and I don't know anything about you."

"Why should you?"

"Just curious."

"You don't know everyone here; you don't ask about them."

"Just the regulars," he told him.

"Well, I don't want it."

"Come on, it's just a drink," Liam said, "Nothing else'

"I doubt that," Graham snapped and sat the drink down more firmly

Liam blinked, "Excuse me?"

"I know what this usually leads to," Graham glared at him and pushed the drink back, "I'm not interested."

Liam was confused, "I'm sorry, but when a bloke usually buys another one a drink, they thank the gods and chug."

Graham looked up, "Not where I was just at."

Liam took a minute to try and figure out what he meant, if it wasn't a means of friendship, then what did it mean-

OH! HE THOUGHT HE WAS SEDUCING HIM!

Liam couldn't help himself, he burst out laughing. Graham was confused but when he seemed to realize that Liam wasn't looking to take him to bed, he gave a dark uncomfortable chuckle.

"Well, if you won't drink this, then I will, I DID buy it," Liam lifted it up and took a long sip, "I always forget how good the good stuff is. The other regulars don't know how much they're missing and for what? All to save a couple of pennies. No one even pays rent."

Graham watched him as they stood in silence and Liam took a few more sips, "I'd like one please."

"Well you're paying," Liam told him with a smirk, "I'm not buying two of these."

000000000000000000000000000000000

 **Present Day**

All it took was a loud 'boom', from the gun in Graham's hand and then everything went to slow motion as Regina went down with a hole right between her eyes.

Then the screaming began.

It felt like an eternity and Graham realized as he stood there that maybe killing Regina where she stood might not have been the best idea, not in this situation.

He just couldn't see her, and he couldn't hear her voice. If he did, he was terrified at what might happen, what she might do to him if she had magic and that sort of control again, while the others stood by and watched and did nothing.

He couldn't let it happen, he just couldn't. Just the idea of her getting any sort of control on him sent him into a panic

But then he looked up, he saw Henry screaming in Emma's arms while she held him back. He remembered that he'd practically helped raise the kid, and he hadn't been able to protect him from Regina either…. just like he hadn't been able to protect himself.

Ruby was crying and holding Regina…that was…unexpected.

Emma turned Henry and pressed his face against her so he couldn't see. He forced himself to meet met her terrified gaze. She was scared of him, she was looking at him like he was a monster, but he'd…he'd protected himself. He couldn't risk being that person again, he couldn't risk her working whatever charms she was used to working.

Emma knew what she did to him, and she let Regina get away with it, she let Henry near her.

She didn't care.

Why did he feel like he'd done something terrible?

Even the Dark one, who had his wife hidden behind him looked stunned.

"Hey, it's okay, everyone calm down," out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Harker woman easing towards him, her hand was up, she was ever so slowly reaching for the gun, "I'm just going to take my gun back."

He let it go without a fight. She jerked it out of his hand, put her other hand to create a barrier between him and herself in case he snapped and tucked the gun in the back of her waistband.

He opened his mouth to speak…. he didn't know what he was going to say, he could have plead for forgiveness, defended himself, or accused them…

But then he felt a pair of strong hands grab hold of him by his jacket. He was pulled inside the house. He stumbled and righted himself just to see his husband standing in the door, his back to him.

"No," Liam snapped at someone he couldn't see, "None of you can come in, don't even try."

"Do you realize what he just did?" He heard Snow whisper

"He killed his rapist," Liam said bluntly.

There was a heavy silence on the other side. Graham sat on the floor and pulled his knees to his chest.

"His what?" he heard Snow whisper.

"I didn't stutter," Liam said, "He had a right to do what he did…after the things she did to him."

"Not in front of Henry," Emma told him.

"That's unfortunate," Liam said, "but it wasn't like any of you bothered to give him justice. What else was he supposed to do? She wasn't coming HERE."

"We need to find out where Regina ended up," The Dark One said.

A jolt of fear went through Graham as he just realized the true extent of what he did. Not only did he just traumatize a kid for life, but he trapped his tormenter and abuser here with him. Maybe it would have been better to just let her get away with what she did.

He doubled over and started hyperventilating.

"Wherever that bitch is, she doesn't come back here," Liam snapped.

"Liam," Killian started.

"No, they upended our lives here, they brought her to her victim. Let's make this clear, I never wanted to be pulled into the middle of this, I was against it from the word 'go.'"

He slammed came back into the house, the wall shook with how hard he shut the door.

Graham put his head in his hands and struggled to breath, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…."

"It's okay," Liam wrapped his arm around him, "It's alright, I'm here."

And all the rage and pain that Graham thought he was working over washed over him and he was put back into the same scared worthless man he felt he was when he got here.

00000000000000000000000000000

Emma couldn't take her eyes off the former mayor's body, while he held Henry against her to keep him from doing the same.

"Don't look, kid" she whispered, "Promise me that you're not going to look."

Red was wailing, Red was holding Regina's body.

No one else moved. Why weren't they moving? Someone had to move her. They had to get rid of the body, they had to bury her. Emma needed a place to put her and shovels…

But to do that, she needed to let go of Henry, and Henry absolutely could NOT turn around and see Regina like this.

Rumple had been the first to really recover once Liam shut the door and forbid them access. He kept one eye on the body as he passed it and put his hand on Emma's shoulder, "We have to put her body away."

"Is she in there?"

"No, dear. She's passed on."

"We have to bury her…," Emma started, could they even really bury a dead body in the underworld? "We have to FIND her!"

"The dead usually come here by the river," Rumple told them, "But since she DIED here…"

"Maybe she ended up on the river."

"It's possible," Rumpelstiltskin agreed and turned, "Red, you have to let her go."

"No," Red sobbed, "She could…still be in her body, right? She could still wake up. You could be wrong, you don't' know how this works any more than we do."

"Dearie, she's not in there anymore, she's dead. Her spirit has left her body. That's the thing about death, it's immediate. She'd have woken up by now if she was still in her body, but she isn't. She's somewhere else."

Red reluctantly let go of Regina's body. Rumple waved his hand and Regina disappeared and would be in the barn on the table they would one day use. The hole in her head would be gone. She would look like she was sleeping. The preservation spell he quickly cast would keep other things that happened with dead bodies from happening.

Emma still hadn't let go of Henry

"We have to find her," Snow started forward.

"Do we, really?" Mina asked.

"There's a lot of people here that would want to see her ripped apart," Snow pulled on her coat, "That's not her anymore, she's changed, we have to get to her first."

"And take her where? You're not going to be able to bring her back here."

Snow ignored that and turned to her family, "We have to find her."

Emma finally released her son, and kicked dirt and grass over the bloodstain soaking in the ground. "We'll go in teams and take shifts and follow Styx and hope she either finds her way to us or stays put until we get to her."

"We should all leave at once," Snow said, "We'll cover more ground."

"It's too risky, you can't risk losing track of each other," Mina told them, while lighting a cigarette. Emma saw the slight shaking of her fingers, but she couldn't totally be sure, "Remember you have our enemies down here too. We just gone done fighting them and some got away."

Emma noticed her distance from the situation immediately and went up to her friend, and lowered her voice, "Are you with me on this?"

"To find the bitch, never," Mina told her, eyes set, "But for the rest of you to get back safely? I'm always with you."

"She came down here for you."

"She came down here because losing the rest of you lot means that she's alone with the town she enslaved," Mina told her, "I doubt she really likes those odds."

"So, I take it you're not coming?" Emma asked, "I could use you. You know what to look for, you're one of the ones here that can track."

Mina scoffed, and leaned back, "You're asking me to track an unrepentant rapist and keep her safe..."

"She wasn't…unrepentant."

"Those jail cells seemed very empty above world for someone who truly regretted her sins."

"You have your sins too, so do I. Are you going to crucify everyone?"

"I regret my sins and so do you. Tell me, where does rape falls in both of our crimes?"

Emma was quiet on that.

"You're wasting time and Styx is very long," Mina blew out some smoke, she made sure to blow it away from Emma's face, "My priority, as it always is, is with the victim and that's the man upstairs. I'm not going."

Emma cursed, she could really use everyone, "Have it your way."

"I'm going too," Jonathan followed.

"LIKE HELL!" Mina shouted and straightened up, "It's too dangerous!"

"I've killed a vampire before. I can find a scowly woman!"

"You were different when you killed Lucy. And Lucy was a different situation!"

"Mina, it's the right thing to do. He shot her in front of a child!" Jonathan snapped, "And you're being very cold for someone that just witnessed a child witnessing that!"

Emma saw her friend go completely rigid, curse under her breath and grab her coat.

Emma knelt in front of Henry, "We're going to find Regina."

"You can't leave, what if- what if you're attacked? Cora got away, and Pan-."

"Pan was dealt with," Rumpelstiltskin said simply, "He will never hurt you again."

"We have to find your mother before Hades does," Emma told him, "Your father will stay with you until I get back."

"How long will that be?"

"Three hours," Emma pulled that number out of her ass, but it seemed like a good one.

"I want to go too."

"No, it's too dangerous, not with Cora around. You need to be here where it's safe. I'm going to find a way to fix this. I'm going to find a way to let you see your mother."

She saw the rebellious look in his gaze, and knew what she was in for his teenage years.

Emma straightened up and sighed, she watched Red get up to follow, good, she'd need her senses.

"Watch him," Emma whispered to Neal as she passed him.

00000000000000000000000000000000000

Red did not want to leave Regina's body. She'd already been pulled away for them to put Regina's body up so that they didn't have to see it.

In the barn, like discarded furniture that someone wanted out of the way.

But now she was walking with Emma for their shift of searching the river. She looked in vain for any sign of Regina, any trace of her scent that would signify that she'd been there.

Her panic started to grow more and more when they weren't locating her.

Regina was dead, and Red didn't protect her. She didn't know what she could have done, she didn't know what she should have done. She should have thought better; she should have found another place to put Regina than the farm where one of her victims stayed.

She knew better, she knew about Regina and what she'd done to Graham, and she had been so wrapped up in the battle today that she hadn't thought what might happen if she brought them to meet.

She should have been smart. She had broken up with Regina because of what she'd done. She may have done the same if she'd been in Graham's position, but she was still so angry at him.

She had lost Peter, she had lost friends in the war, and now she lost Regina; who she knew was trying to change.

Regina had rejected her mother! That meant so much. It was so different than when it was before. Regina had her chance for revenge and she rejected it.

But Graham didn't know that, and even if he did, what would he care? Red understood his point of view, but she knew that it wasn't as simple as what he believed.

Her mind was in tangles, she didn't want to think about this anymore. She wanted to pretend it never happened and go home and just sleep everything away.

However, as soon as she went home, she knew she'd do it alone. Peter had long been dead; her grandmother and her love had been killed.

Red was faster, she was sharper and she still hadn't saved anyone.

She still had Snow, she supposed but Snow had her own life, she had her own kids to worry about and her grandkid. They would come over to the diner, and hang out and talk but Snow wouldn't be there in the middle of the night when she woke up to an empty home.

The idea made her chest freeze up and she suddenly had problems breathing.

Emma was by her side in a minute, "Come on, put your head down, between your knees."

Red shook her head, it wouldn't work, but when the hyperventilation wouldn't stop, she finally did it and sobbed.

"Come on," Emma looked at Jonathan and Mina, "Let's take a break."

Jonathan sat on the other side of Red and held her hand. Mina stood over them, Red tried to see what her expression was, in case she was looking for a fight. Red wanted her to say something, she wanted that fight. She knew what Mina thought very well, she'd heard Mina and Emma when they whispered together. She knew she truly didn't want to be here.

She looked for any sort of glare or eyeroll, but Mina kept her eye on the surroundings.

When Red finally looked at Jonathan, she was startled at how kind his eyes were. There was still something off, he had facial tics that weren't normal, but Red couldn't reconcile that someone with this concern and this kindness could be married to a hunter that.

But Mina, like Regina, and like all of them hadn't always been like she was. Red knew that better than anyone.

Would Red be like her if she was alone and constantly going through the trauma of enemies that never stopped coming?

Red didn't want that. She didn't want pieces chipped away at her until she had to pick and choose which victim she wanted to represent and stand against her friends to protect that someone.

"We'll sit here as long as you want," Emma told her.

"We have to keep going, we're wasting time."

"The Underworld is big," Emma told her, "WE don't even know if there's an end to it."

"Which is terrifying," Red told her, and all the more reason why they needed to go.

"Perhaps she's moved on. Perhaps she won't even stop here," Jonathan offered hopefully

Emma flinched, "I don't know if she's going to end up somewhere good, if that's the case, Jonathan."

Emma REALLY didn't have to say what both she and Red were both thinking. Saying it out loud made something like that possible.

But Red clenched her hands, "She would have unfinished business. She wouldn't be able to move on yet. She had a lot she had to work through and she'd have a lot to answer for. She'd be here, we just have to find her."

Mina took another look at their surroundings and offered Red her canteen. Red froze at first but the others were watching. She accepted it and took a drink, "Thank you."

"It's a very hard thing to lose someone you love," Mina told her almost softly, there was still a clinical tone to it.

Jonathan looked away.

"There's something wrong about all of this," Mina told them.

"What do you mean?" Emma asked.

"When you were looking for me, it had to be covert, and we had to escape before an army of Hades men descended on us when you lot were getting me out of the asylum. So where are they now?"

Red had been realizing that something was wrong, it was too quiet, but she didn't want to say it out loud. It made it real, "Do you think he'd know this would happen?"

"Standing back and waiting for us to all destroy each other is a sound strategy," Mina said grimly.

"So, what, do you think she's at Monaxiá?" Jonathan asked with some panic in his voice.

"I doubt they'd put her in a place that we broke in and escaped from," Emma muttered, "But she could be somewhere else."

"Where?" Red asked, "They kept Titans at Monaxiá, what sort of place could possibly be more secure than that? And Regine wouldn't go there, she didn't help kill Dracula. She stood there and begged us not to."

"That might be enough to consider you responsible for grieving parents," Jonathan said and looked over to his wife, who shared a quiet look back.

"If I'm right," Mina started, "This search is going to be pointless."

"And that's exactly what someone like Hades and Persephone might want."

000000000000000

When they got back; it was far earlier than what they'd promised Henry. Emma saw with a grim expression that everyone that was left outside was still outside. She didn't see Killian, Liam, Graham, or Milah outside and the house was still.

There were some missing.

"Where are my parents and Rumpelstiltskin?"

"Mom!" Henry jumped up and ran to her, "Did you find her?"

Emma quietly shook her head, "Not yet."

Neal wrapped his arm around Henry from behind and pulled her against him in a group hug, "He went to Monaxiá. They went to look down the other side of the river."

Emma knew, but she wanted to hear it to be sure, "Why? Does he think she's there?"

"No," Henry said, "But he thinks Jekyll might know."

"Then why didn't he wait for us?" Emma demanded, "I'd have gone with them."

"The killer of two gods going to a place they keep god killers probably isn't the safest idea," Neal told her, "And he wanted you here in case this place got found."

"When did he leave?"

"Emma, he took them and left as soon as you did."

Emma blinked, "I need to go after him."

"Mom," Henry pleaded.

Emma's heart raced in her chest. She looked down at her son. She needed to find Regina, she needed to make this right so that he could say goodbye to his mother. This was special, no one got THIS

But she had promised Henry.

And she wasn't a liar.

So, she wrapped her arms around Henry, "I'm here."

She'd stay until Rumple returned. Her son needed her now.

00000000000000000000000000000000000

Rumpelstiltskin hated parlays, he hated peace negotiations but he had to admit that at this point it was critical to try and reach an agreement that everyone could walk away from.

And to do that, he didn't need his family crowding around trying to dictate what the terms would be.

He sat in his booth at a diner, drinking his tea when Hades slid across from him.

"I had to admit, I thought that this might have been a trap when I received your message."

"Well, when I sent it out, I expected you or your lovely wife to strike me down as soon as you saw me."

"Now why should we do that?" Hades asked, "You're family. That Dark One inside you belonged to my son."

"Good, since we're family, I'm hoping that you'll be willing to extend that to all of us that are related to me."

Hades scoffed, "They're not related to the Dark One."

"Tell HIM that," Rumple took another sip, "He's quite protective and territorial over what he thinks is his."

"That would depend on whether or not that creature has a mind of its own or if he's just an extension of you and your feelings," Hades hissed.

Even Rumple was never really sure of that. That thing was melded with him so closely over the years that he didn't know if it was him or _it_ that thought the things he did. He knew he had a vicious streak in him, even before the Dark One took over. He burned down a castle to save his son. Innocent people had died. He was ashamed of it but he was desperate. So, was it him that was more protective and territorial over his family and loved ones or was it that thing and its own personality that made him even more so?

It was something he could never really reconcile. He'd never really wanted to in the past. It got him where he needed to go and got him his curse. Up until recently, he hadn't ever really cared one way or another about what it was.

"I'm here for a compromise."

"I think we're way past that."

"No one is happy with a compromise, that's why it's called a compromise," Rumple told him, "But first I want your word that as long as I don't use magic, you will allow me to leave intact."

Hades snapped his fingers. AS if on cue, everyone in the busy diner turned to look at him.

And he knew that he was in trouble.

Rumpelstiltskin knew now that maybe this had been a trap for HIM, and Hades was looking to take out the most powerful person on the team that wasn't Emma.

"If you try to use magic on me, you won't make it out here at all."

Rumpelstiltskin didn't even sweat, he looked boldly at Hades, "I've died before. It's not pleasant. But dying or being imprisoned would be a pittance compared to what I could do to your bodyguards. I would vaporize this place, and they'd wish they were dead once they could formulate thoughts again. Of course, that would take months. Would you risk them?"

"What do you want, then? To know where Regina Mills is?"

"Yes. And to ensure the Harkers, Alex Murray, and the Jones family will be safe once we're gone."

"You're entirely predictable."

"So are you," Rumple smirked, "Which is why I Know you won't let me vaporize this place. People spend an eternity protecting you, I'm sure you get a little sentimental for them. I thought for sure some might be your children but you'd never willingly let your children near us."

Hades glared.

"I'm not your enemy," Rumple told him and summoned his own tea, "I'd like for you not to be mine, so let's put our emotions aside and get on with this, shall we?"

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

 **2 Years Ago**

There was something about just being able to talk to someone that felt revolutionary to Graham. His whole life, he'd never trusted humans. His family abandoned him, he was raised by wolves, he watched as humans killed his wolf family and then…well Regina.

And as long as he was alive, he never got to form connections. He'd never really had anyone to talk to. Not even when he was Graham due to Regina's jealous hold.

It was different when he met Liam, Liam talked but he let him talk too. He let Graham work through the things that had happened to him. He told him stories of his own of the things he'd went through once his father sold him to the captain of that ship. It helped Graham that he felt less alone, because Liam understood.

He stopped drinking as much.

He still had the nightmares but he felt safe taking walks when he couldn't sleep.

Every week, he spent Tuesdays and Wednesdays at Liam's house. Liam taught him how to cook and Graham took comfort in that outlet. He met Liam's sister, Milah, who taught him to draw. Well, she tried to teach him to draw, he wasn't good at it, he wasn't able to draw the landscapes that she did when she wanted to remember something, but he still liked it. Milah was different than Liam. She preferred to work in silence and when Graham needed someone close by but quiet, he spent time with her.

One night, six months after they started talking, Graham had awakened from a nightmare, and took a walk once he couldn't go back to sleep. He didn't even mean to end up at the house, but he let familiarity take him there.

The light was on.

Curiosity gut the best and he walked up the stairs, he looked in and saw Liam sitting by himself drinking.

Graham knocked when cause Liam to jump and turn. He saw it was Graham and went to let him in, "Hey..."

"Hey," Graham could see the distress on his face, "You alright?"

"Yeah…wh-what are you doing up? Nightmare?"

Graham nodded and saw the sadness in grief on his face, Graham spied the broken bottle in the corner, and also what he thought for sure was a drinking glass, "You're not okay, are you?"

Liam ran a hand through is hair and backed up so Graham could come in, "I've finally gotten news on my brother."

Graham perked up then, Liam hadn't heard from his brother in what felt like 30 years. He got bits and pieces from those around this place. The last he'd heard was that Killian was in Neverland, killing the psychotic Lost Boys who were a danger to himself and the crew. It wasn't a great look on Killian's part, but Killian hadn't exactly had a good reputation since Liam died.

"He's helped kill a village full of people," Liam downed the rest of his drink, "All to help the witch he was apparently allied with. Men, women, and children, he's stood by and done nothing while they were all killed. He…he told her where all the weaknesses in the town would be. And he covered for her while she was out of her cell, shapeshifting into someone called Lancelot, running things.

Graham felt the air deflate from his lungs, "Liam, I'm so sorry."

"I thought I taught him better. He knew what our father did, he knew what those people we worked for did. We fought pirates while we were in the navy, and the moment I die, he's gone off to be one of them. He's killed countless people and now he's helped kill women and children."

"That's not your fault."

"Isn't it?" Liam demanded angrily, "I cut myself with a poisonous plant because I listened to the word of our king. I put him before my brother, and now my brother has forgotten the value of a person's life."

"You had faith in someone, it was just the wrong person," Graham wished he knew what that was like, "Everyone has done that0

"The wrong person," Liam laughed darkly, "And Killian never wanted to be in the navy anyway. He only did it because I wanted to. Of course, he goes back to piracy, that's the only life he's known-"

"There's no way you could have predicted that he would turn out like this."

"I didn't protect him well enough."

"Liam, you were a child."

"None of us have childhoods," Liam looked at him, "It's not an excuse."

"Being a child is more than just an excuse," Graham told him, "It's not your fault."

"If I lived, this never would've happened."

"You couldn't monitor your brother forever," Graham told him.

"He's going to end up in the pit," Liam sobbed, "He won't end up here, he's killed too many people, done too many things. They won't let him try to redeem himself here, they'll just throw him in the pit."

"Hey," Graham moved to sit on the coffee table across from Liam, "You can't know that."

"They have put people in the pit for less."

"And they've been dropped off in this place for more than what your brother's done," Graham grabbed his arms, "Liam, listen to me. You didn't fail him. He could still turn it around. You could still see him if he comes here."

Liam shook his head, "You ask me to have false hope…"

"No, because the things you taught him are still in there," Graham told him, "Because it could still save him, just like it saved me."

Liam blinked, the room plunged into silence, "I…I didn't save you."

"Of course, you did," Graham said in confusion, "I didn't have anyone. I didn't have a way to let anything out. You noticed me…and you helped me, you saved my life. Well…not life…but eternity? I guess?"

Liam's eyes filled with tears, "But I didn't. You just found a way to save yourself."

"I could never have done it without you. Do you realize how miserable I was until you found me? My foster family is wherever they keep animals in the Elysian Fields. I never had any friends my own species, I didn't know how to bond with people. You changed that. I lov-."

He stopped, because Graham himself had never even considered the fact that he was now facing.

He loved Liam.

Graham had never been romantic, that was taken from him in more ways than one. He never really considered it because he never found a human woman that didn't look at him like he was filth. Emma was the only one he had real feelings for, and even that was mostly the cursed Graham.

And men? While the Enchanted Forest was a lot more lax about how it viewed same sex couples, Graham had never even thought of that for himself. The sort of men he dealt with; he'd never be with. They usually liked to try and kill him.

Liam straightened, "You what?"

Graham felt the heat in his face, he shouldn't take the risk, but he did, because after Liam saved him, he might as well be honest, "I love you."

Liam stopped, "I don't want you to love me just because you feel I saved you."

"I don't," Graham told him, but not even he could be completely sure that was true. He was sure that was a part of it though, "It goes deeper than that. You're the only one that's ever seen me past what I am. I may not be much; I can't offer anything. But I do feel things for you, I love you, as much as I know how to love. I know you probably don't feel the same thing, and I don't care. I know it's probably weird now. I don't expect anything; I hope it doesn't change. But I've always bene able to tell you everything, and here it is. I love you."

Liam slid up to him, Graham didn't say thing as Liam faced him without touching him, "I'm going to kiss you, is that alright?"

Liam never touched Graham without asking.

Graham felt his heart race, he managed a nod and returned Liam's passionate and slightly liquor tasting kiss. When they pulled back, both were wide eyed and a little breathy.

But there was joy in their eyes. He felt the same thing, or at least he was willing to try.

"Would you like to come upstairs?" Liam asked.

"You're drunk, it wouldn't be right."

"I'm not drunk, that was my second glass," Liam shoved it aside, "But we don't have to, if you don't want to."

In truth, Graham would rather just talk to him, there was a lot more they needed to discuss before they thought about having sex, and he was just so very tired "Can we just lay there and sleep?"

"Of course," Liam said and Graham was eternally grateful that he let Graham set the pace, "I'd like to kiss you again, is that alright?"

"You don't have to ask anymore," Graham told him happily and gave him another passionate kiss.

Liam took his hand and stood up; Graham followed.

"I'm sorry about the cheesy speech," Graham told him as they lay in bed later, having held each other and discussed as much as they could think of when it came to the boundaries and hopes they wanted to set for their relationship.

"It's okay," Liam rested his forehead on Graham's, "I didn't want to interrupt, that'd be rude."

"I only had the Land Without Magic's teen soap shows to go on."

"You made it work."

Graham scoffed, "No I didn't."

Liam yawned, "One day we'll look on it and laugh."

Graham buried his face in his pillow, "Probably tomorrow."

0000000000000000000000000000000000

 **Present Day**

Now married, Graham Jones lay on the same bed, curled up, clutching a pillow. He didn't sleep, he didn't talk, he just lay there and wished he could take what he did today back.

Liam was downstairs, he was making Graham something that Graham already knew he wouldn't eat. He had told Liam such, but also told Liam he didn't need him hovering over him, so at the very least it let Liam keep some control of the things going on around him.

He heard someone coming up the stairs and saw Milah glance at him as he passed by. He lifted his head and called to her.

"yes?" She came back.

"You were just…out…."

"Yeah," Milah came in and squatted on his side of the bed until she was eye level with him, "They're all…mostly still out there."

"How's Henry?"

Milah hesitated, "Don't make me tell you how they're doing."

"You're the bluntest person I know, it won't kill me to tell the truth."

Milah frowned, "He's still crying. I suppose they were close…or something."

"I didn't mean to do it in front of them, it just happened."

"She deserved what she got," Milah told him bluntly, "After what she did to you, after what she did to all those people, no one with a brain should doubt you for what you did."

"But I did it in front of her son…your grandson."

Milah was quiet, "Well that's the only part they should be mad at you about. You should have taken her to the back like the bitch she was and opened fire."

Milah spoke with such vehemence, but he was used to it. She was close to him; she'd known what had happened. He'd told her one day when they painted a sunset at the beach. She had been pretty quiet until she was drunk and swore all sort of names at Regina that she usually reserved for her former husband, "Where is she?"

"No one seems to know where her soul was, I'm guessing she probably didn't have one," Milah told him, "Her body, they've moved to the barn. I'd have danced on her but they used the big table and I can't really climb up on that without a chair. It's too much work for someone like her"

Graham chuckled despite himself and tugged on his sister's hair, "You don't know half the things she did."

"I know enough of what matters," Milah muttered, "I don't have a clean record, I know I have my sins I'm working to redeem. Maybe I'll never get done. But you're my brother, and I love you. For that, I will never forgive her for what she did any more than I can forgive the Dark One for what he did to me. Only difference is that Regina's done things that even Rumpelstiltskin would never do. For all his flaws, he would never touch anyone like that."

"You two managed to work together."

"We put it aside for our family for now. It would be a hell of an eternity if he stayed."

Graham was quiet, "Is SHE coming back here?"

"They already know they can't bring her back, we've all made that very clear."

The door opened more, Milah looked up and so did Graham as Liam brought in some eggs and sausage, "And Rumple doesn't have to stay here either once he dies, if that makes you uncomfortable."

"I can live with it if he builds himself another house," Milah told him, "There's plenty of property."

"You would hate it."

"Bae would be happy," Milah states, "That's all I care about. And he's 300 years old. I'm sure he'll live 300 more. By then, I imagine I'll have moved on."

"I think our actions have set us back a few millennia," Liam put the food in front of Graham, "You have to eat."

"I don't think I can."

A moment of tense silence passed, Milah reached for it, "Well, I'll eat it, bloody hell…"

Killian followed in shortly behind his brother, and closed the door, "Are you okay?"

"I don't need hovering."

"It's not hovering, this is supposed to be what families do," Killian plopped on the couch along the wall and kicked his boots off, "Gods, what a day."

Graham finally sat up and noticed how dark it was getting, "Are you really going to leave them out there, all night?"

"They've pitched tents, there's a bathroom in the barn" Killian scooted down till he was laying on the couch, "And Emma can always make a new house if they really want to."

"It doesn't seem fair…."

"Neither does letting her live with them with no punishment," Milah said, mouth half full, "But they did. And they brought her right on our doorstep."

"Henry didn't."

"Henry could use a camping trip right about now," Killian sighed.

Liam turned, "Killian!"

"What?" Killian demanded as Liam and Milah threw pillows at him, "It's better that we all keep separate right now. They aren't complaining about the conditions so I'm guessing they know that too."

"It just doesn't seem right," Graham muttered. For Henry at least.

"Neither was what happened to you," Liam lay on the bed and spooned him, "But it did. And we have to figure out what to do next."

"I'm so…," Graham searched for the right word, "Tired."

"We know," Liam told him, "But it's almost over. One way or another, it'll all be over.'

They lay there in silence. Graham finally let himself realize just how much this was his family. Dark humored, occasionally inconsiderate and self-serving they could be; they still loved, supported, and stood by him without any question.

That meant more to Graham than anything.

00000000000000000000000000000

The sun was setting after a very long day, Mina Harker sat on the steps of the porch and watched the others bunk down for the night. She'd stayed mostly to herself since they got back. She was waiting for Rumple to return, and if he wasn't back by midnight, she was going to try and find him.

Which was something she wasn't looking forward to. They all risked life and limb to come down here and save her. She didn't want to repay that by having to ask them to do it again.

Maybe the plan was to draw them out one by one and capture them that way. How long before they all started to catch on?

She might take her father, she couldn't leave Rumple behind, not after everything he'd done for her.

Something moved next to her, she looked up when she saw Jonathan sit next to her and offer her some of the soup, he'd gotten for himself.

"I'm not hungry."

"You need to eat," he whispered.

"It's not like I'll starve to death," Mina told him.

His face fell, "That's not funny."

Mina felt guilt coiling in her stomach at his face, "You're right, it's not. I'm sorry."

He sighed and rested his forehead against her shoulder. Mina instinctively rested her head on his.

"You're angry with me," he started.

"Don't be silly," Mina told him.

"You're angry that I went to find that woman and you had to go with me."

Mina frowned; she wasn't happy with it. She kept her opinions to herself because there was a lot of people hurting, but Mina's life had been made miserable by Regina while she was trying to deal with her trauma coming back to life and trying to claim her again. That, combined with Regina's other sins hadn't exactly afforded Mina the privilege of seeing her as 'changed', "You heard what she did."

"I did. But she got shot in front of a child."

"That affords compassion to Henry, not to her," Mina took a sip of the whisky she had on the patio with her, "What she did to Graham is the least of her sins. She's enslaved worlds, she's a dictator. From what I heard; she tormented that child for years before she decided to try redemption. I've met many like her. I didn't mourn for them and I won't weep for Regina Mills."

Jonathan was quiet, "You're very callous these days."

"No one lives the way I've had to by being completely nice. I'm nice to the ones that deserve it."

"And who decides that?"

"The law, and when the law fails, I have to."

Jonathan looked terrified, "That's very black and white."

"No, not for me. I knew the world had shades of grey very quickly, but there's still right and wrong and it doesn't always line up with what the law and those in power say. I hunted, I killed, but I did my best to cling to my morals. People lived because of me. Monsters in power were put down and those oppressed lived. I can be at peace knowing I made a difference."

"But at the cost of yourself," He whispered, "Did you really have to hunt?"

"Dracula was coming back anyway. I would never have escaped."

"Did you know that eight years ago, Mina?"

Mina turned to look at him sharply, "You don't know about it."

"Because you won't tell me."

There was never time to tell him. And even then, how was Mina supposed to look her husband in the eyes, who never dreamed of having to hurt anyone, and tell him she killed children? That she'd destroyed herself because Alana turned children into vampires that had fed and were therefore unsavable?

"You would hate me," Mina told him, "If I'd told you what I'd done."

"Mina, there had to be avenues, there had to be options."

"I was abandoned by my mother-"

Jonathan looked shocked, "She would never abandon you-."

"Everything broke down!" Mina snapped, angry that he wouldn't understand, and because she couldn't tell him because she knew that would make him understand less, "I lost everything, because you left me!"

He drew in a sharp breath. They both stared at each other in tense silence. Mina was aware that she was weeping and she wiped the tears away in annoyance, "You died, Jonathan, and I was alone. I did things that I had to do to keep people safe. It chipped away at the person I was. I'm not the person you married because I watched you die, and then I lost our baby. If you think I should retain some of who I was after that happened, well then, I suppose the wrong person died that night. I'm sure you would've handled it far better than I did, stellar example that you are. I always knew you were better than me and that's why I loved you but you left me!"

"I can't help it that I died," he told her quietly.

A moment passed, she wiped her eyes, "I know."

"Then why are you angry that it happened?" he sobbed, "I was trying to protect you."

"Because that anger is there every day and I don't know how to make it go away. It won't go away tomorrow, it won't go away next week, it will be here for a very long time" she looked at him, "And I can't tell you what I've been through, because oh god, if I did, Jonathan…."

"We used to tell each other everything," he said timidly.

"We used to be different people who could," she closed her eyes, "But I've done awful things to keep people safe, I've seen the worst this world had to offer. I cannot mourn for people like her. If she was redeeming herself, I still have to think about the victims and the many people she suffered. I'm on Graham's side, of course I am. She raped and murdered him. That won't go away if she does enough good things."

"I know that, but….," he tried to find something, he didn't like feeling helpless. He felt it when his wife was turning and felt it when Dracula was killing him. He felt it when he was locked up in that asylum going insane. He was nothing more than a weak helpless man. His law degree, and his career had done nothing to prepare him for what he had been through and now he had a wife who he couldn't communicate with, "Surely, she was punished? Surely she paid her debt to society."

"Oh darling, she's family with the law." Mina watched him, "Besides, in my experience, the law doesn't do much for people and monsters like her anyway."

"But she came down here…for you."

"She did not, she came down here once she lost contact with her family. I suppose it's admirable that she cares about her family but it doesn't erase her sins."

"That's cold."

"I can't make myself into the woman that believed everyone was capable of redemption, Jonathan. I've been against too many supposed friends and true monsters to believe that. I can't make myself into the woman you married any more than you can be the man I married."

"So, what do we do, then?" Jonathan asked.

"I don't know," Mina whispered, "Because I still love you, everything in me loves you. My love for you kept me alive when Dracula had me, it kept me sane. Remembering you after it all happened was what I used for comfort when I was alone and the dark thoughts threatened to suffocate me."

A tear slipped down his face, "I love you too. Remembering you was what I used when I was locked away with nothing to do. I'd hoped you were happy. I hoped you'd have found a way to move on."

"I couldn't," Mina felt the tears spring anew, she always did when he cried. He was a sensitive man, and far better than she deserved, "I couldn't go back to that normal world, not after what I'd been through and seen. Tea time and fashion paled in comparison to the people out there tormented and dying. And I was just…I was just so bloody angry that he didn't die by my hand. Eventually it consumed me…. until there was barely anything left. I can't get those parts of me that you loved back. I'm sorry. I love you, but this bitter broken shell is what you're agreeing to stay married to and I know that it will take me years to start healing. Bloody hell, I don't even know where to start. This rage has consumed me, and you'll resent it. It will consume you too if you're not careful."

"I don't want that," he whispered.

"I don't want it either, so we have to make this decision."

Jonathan couldn't look at her, it took him a few tries but he finally spoke up "I don't know if I can be married to you if you're like this. I love you with everything in me but if you're just angry for eternity, I might not like you very much"

"You shouldn't," Mina agreed tearfully, finally stating what she knew was in the back of her mind and in her heart since they'd first finally gotten to talk. She'd known this whole time when she realized that he had changed as well, "It's alright if you don't. It doesn't mean we love each other any less. It just means…. that eight years is a long time, and sometimes you can love someone and not be compatible. We both changed, we both moved on. And that kills me inside, but I know you deserve this. You deserve a fresh start; you deserve to be happy."

He didn't deserve to be consumed by her as she tried to fit herself back together after what she'd been through. And he didn't deserve her shadow as he tried to fit himself back together too.

Jonathan grabbed her face and kissed her. Mina returned the kiss immediately and burrowed her face in his neck, taking in how he felt again; his touch, his warmth and his smell.

She didn't tell him that them deciding to end this gave her a great feeling of relief.

That was the worst thing of all.

00000000000000000000000000000

As it grew dark, Rumpelstiltskin helped himself to a huge dinner at the diner. "This is lovely. Lately I've been eating what the others make because they're tired of my 'bland' magical food, so it's not always edible."

"Careful there," Hades sneered, "You might have to let your suit out."

"Charming eats like a horse," Rumpelstiltskin continued, "He might EAT the horses if he got desperate."

Hades glared, "We opened our home to you, you know, and this is how you thank us."

"Yes, your sons come to my home and try to drain souls and bodies," Rumpelstiltskin looked at him, "You want to point out that they're only human and cattle, then fine, but remember I'm the Dark One, I bear the creation your son made. They came to my territory; they attacked my family and my charges. Did you really not think I wouldn't retaliate?"

"I expected you to be conflicted but honestly you and your lot didn't register until my sons were dead."

That was fair, no one really registered to Rumple with the exception of some when he was trying to spread the curse.

"They hadn't seen their daughter in 28 years," Rumple continued, "Imagine what it'd be like if you hadn't seen your daughter all her life."

Hades froze, "You're stepping near dangerous ground."

Rumple was quiet, "Why? Why are we the victims of a war of the gods that we had no part in? Why are we a numbers game?"

"You lot were always a numbers game," Hades drank his coffee, "My brother did what he always does, he did it to my wife. He did it twice. I got Melinoë the first time, and I loved her with everything. Then we got Zagreus, and I was prepared to do the same. It's not my wife's fault he disguised himself as me, I knew this might happen. It always happens with my brother. He likes to dominate. Then, we get word of rumors going around that Zeus might make Zagreus his heir should anything happen. Ares of course, could never rule. Hephaestus has no interest in ruling. The rest are daughters and we both know how Zeus views women. Hera found out. Hera sent her animals down here to end the life of my son."

Rumpelstiltskin lowered his eyes after a mutual moment of silence, "I can't imagine losing my son permanently like that. I'm so sorry."

"We don't know what happens to us once we die," Hades snarled, "We couldn't even kill Titans, no matter how we tried. Does that clue you in on how they destroyed my little boy?"

"And you can't start a war with your brother."

"He is too well liked up there," Hades scoffed and pushed his drink aside, "Not much on the humanity side though, as they become enlightened but at the end of the day, he'll always be far more powerful than me when it comes to our family."

"I'm sorry, I truly am sorry that you lost your son. But you're smart enough to know that we had nothing to do with any of this."

"Of course, I know that!" he snapped, "My children who were old enough made this decision themselves. I promised them I would always let them make decisions they could make as adults. Hera cursed them with various curses, and various duties, they had to use them somehow."

"I'm sorry?"

"Why do you think Erebus and Ichor drank blood and ate souls?"

Rumpelstiltskin held his gaze, "You're smart enough to know that the things your sons did were the things done to your wife."

"I know that."

"Then why are we being punished for defending ourselves?"

"Because it's the principal of the matter," Hades told him coldly, "You know what others would do if they discovered we were far more mortal than even WE expected? I would lose my children; they would risk losing me or Persephone. Do you think I want to hold onto this? I want to mourn my children and move on, but I can't because their murderers are in our realm. I think on this, constantly, it eats me alive. I know they provoked your family. But they still killed my children. Can you say you'd be merciful if someone murdered your child?"

No, he wouldn't, he would never forgive anyone if they murdered Baelfire. He certainly didn't forgive Dracula for murdering Alex.

"You know the answer to that."

Hades nodded, "So then I suppose we're at an impasse."

"Then I suppose it's time we lay down terms for compromise."

Hades waves at a waitress, "Do you have something for nausea?"

"Don't be dramatic," Rumpelstiltskin said.

"Actually, I'll take something strong," Hades told her and then turned back to Rumpelstiltskin.

"Well then-."

"No," Hades held up a finger, "Wait."

He made him sit there and wait until the waitress brought over a doubt and left the bottle. Rumpelstiltskin ground his teeth in frustration as Hades swirled the drink around and took a sip.

"As far as I can tell," Hades started, "Emma and you murdered Erebus on the carousel. The Harker woman, you and the wolf murdered Ichor, is that about right?"

"I landed the killing blow both times."

"Please like that matters," Hades took a sip, "Then there is the Jones family that has betrayed this realm to help."

"Some were unwilling. Others fathered a child with Mina and felt indebted to help her."

"Yes, Killian Jones. My condolences to her regressed taste in men," Hades smirked, "At least Jonathan was educated."

"Indeed, but they want peace as well. We barged in on their lives."

"Then there are the ones that killed Ichor before…. Mina's family and Abraham Van Helsing when he arrives…."

"They made it so your son could visit you. I'm sure those visits are rare. Greek Gods don't celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas like we do."

Hades narrowed his eyes, "Very well, these are the terms. The four of you, once you die, will be relegated here for…let's just put it a thousand years."

"A thousand?" Rumpelstiltskin laughed

"I will make it ten, Hades threatened "Your families however, will automatically move on to whatever destination they were intended for. I will make special allowances to make sure they will never step foot in this purgatory again. When the thousand years is up, I'm sure all of you will have redeemed yourselves for your sins. Alexander Murray and Jonathan Harker will be required to move on by the end of tomorrow, as well as two others of your choosing. The rest will be safe as long as they stay in this purgatory."

Rumpelstiltskin clenched his fist in his lap, "She will not have her family?"

"Neither will you. I suppose you'll have Emma and Mina but they hardly consider you theirs."

Rumpelstiltskin fought a rising panic; he had already dealt with 300 years of never seeing his son. How could he expect to deal with hundreds and hundreds more?

And what about Henry? What about the kids he hoped Emma and Neal might have? What about Belle? He would never see her and by the time they all met up again, they'd have well moved on.

That was even if he made it Elysium.

'I need to discuss these matters with the ones that will be effected."

"No," Hades said simply, "This is the deal, and you will make it now. of course, you'll have to get their signatures but once you put yours down then the deal's as good as made. The rest is processing"

"You would rip families down here apart-,"

"I don't have a choice," Hades hissed, "You've endangered my innocent sons and daughters by killing Erebus and Ichor. This is the punishment all of you get, this will dissuade others from doing the same as you have."

"I will refuse."

"If you refuse then any chance of peace will be forfeit," Hades stared him down with ice blue eyes, "We will rip down your barriers, we will burn down your farm. Did you think I don't know where you'd go? Of course, I did. This is my realm and I'm more powerful than you. IT didn't take me long to find you. When we're done with that; we will imprison Mina's and your family that are in my charge. I will let Jekyll experiment on her brain. Alexander will never see his wife again. I will drive Jonathan insane. I will separate the Jones family and I will give all of you that live to Cora. Then when she's done with you, and if you lot are still alive, I will take a shovel and dig Pan up myself. He will finish off what's left. You will never see the overworld. Then you will remain here in this Purgatory and I will never let you move on. I suppose you think that you won't mind that so much as you'll have Belle and your sons but I warn you, Belle will be our hostage to ensure your cooperation. As for Baelfire…well…. let's see how he reacts when he finds out you knowingly refused a deal that kept his son safe from your father. Let's see how Alexander will react knowing that his daughter is being experimented on while alive because you refused a deal that would eventually reunite them. Don't look so angry. You angered the gods; did you really think that circling each other making useless attempts to win in their realm would benefit you?"

Hades said it with such coldness, such banal precision that Rumpelstiltskin immediately believed that he'd do all this. And for all this fast thinking, he knew that even if he knew everything Hades was going to do, he couldn't protect all of them. Hades would get some of them and those he might get were linked to others that he loved very much."

They would never forgive him.

He couldn't win this, and any victory he might win might have consequences down the line.

Hades won this, and Hades knew it.

"That's all very well, but I still need to know where Regina is," Rumpelstiltskin said, trying to hide how sick this made him. They were going to hate him when he told them what he'd done.

"She's in the city labyrinth," Hades said, "we put her down there to keep her from causing trouble. You know how she reacts when she doesn't get her way. Graham made how she treats her prisoners very clear. If you sign the contract, multiple exits will be open to her. If she makes it to one, then we won't bother her again."

"And I need a clause about us leaving safely."

"Of course," Hades waves his hand and a contract appeared, "Don't look so ill. Rumpelstiltskin, this is compromise. No one leaves to a compromise happy. Persephone is going to be pissed, your family is going to be furious, no one has truly won."

Rumpelstiltskin went from gripping his fist to gripping the table.

"Perhaps I can get you something for your nausea," Hades smirked.

00000000000000000000000

 **One and a Half Years Ago**

Graham stood in a suit, the best one that he could afford and still feel comfortable in. He looked himself up and down in the mirror and adjusted it a bit. Everything was too tight. A button was going to pop off and everyone in his family would see.

He heard a knock at the door and Milah slipped in, "How is it?"

"Still tight," he tugged on the shirt collar, "I think they just gave me the same size and said it was bigger.

"Then unbutton the top collar."

"THAT'S uncivilized, I'm wearing a tie!"

"Liam would rather have his husband breathing," Milah went to do the adjusting herself.

She waited for permission, which he gave with a nod and she loosened the tie a bit and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt.

"We're not married yet," he told her, "He could change his mind."

"Liam isn't going to change his mind," Milah brushed some imaginary dirt off, "He's crazy about you. You're all he talked about for the past six months when he's not talking about Killian or his job."

Graham felt his heart speed up a bit. No, Milah was exaggerating. She exaggerated about loads of things, there was no way Liam loved him so completely that he gave him his space, gave him affection AND thought about him all the time. Graham wasn't worth it.

…unless it was to worry….

No one could possibly love Graham so much, and one might question why Graham was marrying him if he felt that Liam couldn't possibly love him like that. The reason was because while Graham doubted the depths of Liam's love, he didn't doubt the depths of his own. Liam had saved him; he had made him feel whole. Now that Graham had a choice to be with whomever might have him, it would be Liam. It would always be him.

And this might crash and burn, divorces still happened in the Underworld all the time. Eternity was a lot harder to endure once it was eternal.

But it was his choice finally, and he was making it.

"You ready?" Milah wrapped the shawl around her body over the silver dress she was wearing.

He took her hand for reassurance, "Yes."

And he went downstairs to get married.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000

 **Present Day**

Charming and Snow got back around sunset only to find most of the tents were set up in the front yard.

Snow had cried all day, she felt it was her fault, somehow. She had known the Huntsman when he was the Huntsman, she had known Graham when he was Graham. She had just never put two and two together. She hadn't known that he was Regina's…victim in the Enchanted forest but it was an open secret in Storybook. When he died, Snow had been cursed, and then everything happened, Snow just never found any time to put it all together.

But Emma hadn't seemed surprised, Snow had looked at her when Liam revealed it, Emma had known.

Why hadn't she said anything?

Why wasn't Red furious? Had she known too?

Was this why they'd broken up for a bit?

Snow couldn't imagine getting romantically involved with someone that'd done that to someone else. It was different for her and Regina, Snow had seen good in her once, and then Snow had ruined everything. She was starting to come to grips that there were higher forces at work than her ten-year-old self could have predicted, but she still had told the secret, and it had cost so many lives.

And Regina was finally starting to make amends for what she'd done, now she'd never get a chance to work for her redemption and the people she'd enslaved.

It wasn't like Hades was going to let her strive for her redemption here.

It wasn't like the murdered would let her.

Snow was too tired to think as they passed through the tents haphazardly set up around the front yard of the farm. Her stomach growled, she was starving, but she also wasn't sure how much longer her legs would hold her up.

Snow stopped when she found a tent with an open flap and looked to see Emma sitting with Henry while he slept. She was staring off into space for the longest time, and only looked over when Snow entered the tent.

"Hey."

"Hi," Emma wiped tiredly at her eyes, "Did you see Rumple?"

"No, we went the opposite way when we all left."

Emma stepped out and let the tent flap close, but she had her hand on the flap in case Henry woke up.

"How is he?" Snow asked

"Not good," Emma swallowed, "I don't know what I'm supposed to tell him. I don't know how I'm supposed to explain this. So, I just sit there and let him cry."

It took everything Snow had in her to think, "There isn't an easy answer."

"There was. I shouldn't have brought her here. I knew he was hurting from what happened, I knew he was angry that justice wasn't done."

"Emma, we had just had a rough battle, we were together and when we all band together, we stay together. It's a force of habit and it's not your fault."

"It is my fault; she should have been punished."

"With everything that happened, we needed her and her magic-."

"then I should have lied to Graham and said she WAS punished."

'How would that have looked when Regina came down here free?"

Emma frowned, "It would have been worse."

Snow closed her eyes, "It shouldn't have happened this way. But it wasn't your fault, it was Graham's decision to do what he did. Just like it was Regina's decision to do what she did."

Emma looked away, "There's no easy solution, and it chips away at Henry's positive view that good can win. Every time there's a victory, more and more of him disappears. More and more of me feels weak, like I can't protect him. And I just get weaker and weaker. I didn't protect his mom, I didn't protect Graham, and one day when he's old enough to know both sides of what happened today, he's going to resent me."

"That's not true."

"Graham reacted when he saw Regina, he didn't put any thought into it, he just did what he had to to protect himself and his family…Henry is going to have to see his mom as a murderer and a rapist. His memory of her is going to be there on the ground, dead. He's going to see that every day he thinks about her and if I'd put more thought into what I was doing, then all this could have been avoided. It's my fault. I knew. I knew since I went through the mirror maze what she did to him."

Snow was quiet then, when she saw the anguish in Emma's face, the guilt eating her away, "Emma…why didn't you tell me?"

"Would it have made a difference?" Emma asked, "You accepted her and wanted her to change even after everything else."

"Did Red know?"

"Red accidentally overheard it when I confronted her."

Snow was quiet, "I wish sometimes you didn't shut me out."

Emma rubbed her eyes tiredly, "There's just things I can't tell you, burdens I can't share. No one tells their mom everything. Especially when they know that it's going to hurt them, or they'll just feel more guilty."

"This was different."

Emma shook her head, "No it wasn't, not this."

Snow wanted to believe that if she had also known, she might have pointed it out to Emma, and maybe this all could have been avoided. But not even she'd have known whether or not she could have caught it. It'd been a hell of a battle today.

"You need sleep," Emma told her, "You searched for Regina all day."

"You need to sleep too."

"No," Emma stood, "We were able to find the last of a location charm in Regina's things. We're going to find Rumpelstiltskin, he's not back yet. I can't bury my son's grandfather too on top of everything else."

"Who's we?"

Emma looked over nearby to where Mina was shoving a gun in the back of her pants and chatting quietly with Jonathan.

Snow watched the simple moments as Jonathan helped her put on her jacket and pull her hair out from under it tenderly. She saw the gentle longing in his eyes as Mina turned around.

"Do you have everything?"

"Yeah," Mina whispered, "It won't be long, and I'm going to stay in touch."

"You should take the wolf lady."

"No, let her rest," Mina told him, "Emma and I can handle it just fine."

He rested his hand on the side of her face. Emma hung back long enough for them to kiss each other goodbye. Snow sensed a bit of awkwardness in that final gesture. There was love there, but there was something else, and Snow had seen it countless times in court when a couple who had once been in love, realized it wouldn't work out.

That small tension, and Snow knew it was over between the two of them.

Emma shoved her hands in her pockets, "Are you ready?"

"Yeah," Mina told her and offered her a gun.

Emma shook her head, "Really don't want to look at one of those right now."

Mina nodded and tucked the second one into the back of her pants. She pulled her jacket over it to hide it, "Best go now."

Emma hugged her mother and went north, with Mina, towards the direction that Neal had seen his father go.

Snow sat in the chair next to Jonathan.

"You can sleep," Jonathan told her politely.

"I can't."

"I'll wake you up when they arrive."

Snow yawned, "I have to wait."

Jonathan watched her and turned back to wait for his wife.

Snow's head hit her chest before he finished turning.

The only time she woke up was when Charming and Jonathan were putting a blanket around her to keep her warm.

00000000000000000000000000000

IT was nearing midnight and nearly time for Rumpelstiltskin to start heading to the farm that he now knew Hades knew about. He stared at the contract, and went over it backwards and forwards. He knew that he HAD to sign, he knew that it would be a lot worse for them if he refused.

There were more bodyguards outside in case he tried anything.

He was grim as he read through the terms and conditions carefully. There were lines for the other signatures, he knew that this didn't rely on him alone he was going to have to convince the three others to sign their lives away too.

He was keeping them safe, why did he feel like he was betraying them?

Rumpelstiltskin focused on one part of the contract though, he focused on it over and over as he tried to find some sort of loophole or question, he could use to postpone.

"I have to give you the Dark One," he noted.

"I think it's best for everyone."

"That I can't fight back?" he glared.

"You don't want any part of his corrupting influence hurting your family, you know it will."

"And you'll release it to corrupt someone else?"

"I plan to collect it and his brothers and keep it here. For now. Erebus gave them gifts; they can cross through worlds through any portal that may exist."

Rumpelstiltskin understood automatically, "You want them to find your sons."

"Beings do not just cease to exist," Hades told him.

"I cannot let you bring them back."

"I don't want to bring them back," Hades said and then frowned, "Well, I do, of course I do. But I just…I want to know where they went. You know better than anyone the burden of not knowing. This thing has been yours for 300 years. IT's time to let it go, or you pass it on to someone else. You know how this end. You'll make the wrong call, you'll destroy your support system, you'll be alone and then that thing will eventually be the reason you die. It lives, you don't. Then in 1,000 years, you have no family to go to. That thing wasn't meant to be loved and supported. It's made by darkness, it's not sentient. It's there to corrupt and destroy. It's meant to twist love and affection into obsession. That's its purpose.'

"And I'm supposed to give this up and get a quick cure to what I've done, is that it?"

"Of course not. You'll still be scarred, you'll still make your bad decisions, and I'm sure you'll crave it again for the rest of your life."

"This thing has kept us alive."

"Now, I suppose that's Emma's burden."

He matched Hades gaze, "Where is Regina?"

"You'll know exactly where when there are three more signatures," Hades watched him, "You will never be whole as long as that thing is inside you."

And Rumple did want rid of it, he hated this being for what it had helped influence him to do. However, he also clung to it because it was an old friend. It was a warm familiar bed. It was SAFE.

For him at least.

And here it was, his chance he had been craving, the chance to give it all up without risking what happened the last time.

 _No one could EVER EVER love me!_

But he knew different now, and he was doing this for them

He signed his name. Every letter of his long long name felt like an eternity as his heart raced in his chest. It didn't feel real, none of this felt real.

At that moment he finished, one of Hades henchmen stepped forward behind him. He felt a pain in his back that nearly put him on his knees. He felt something rip through him and he instinctively moved forward to get away from it.

He told himself he wouldn't scream, but he did because he felt he was dying. He felt like his body was being ripped apart. He thought for sure they were ripping him in two.

Then the pain was gone.

His ankle twisted out from under him, he fell to the ground.

Hades nodded as they shoved the screeching shadow into a box with runes on it, not unlike Pandora's box.

Hades stood over him and wiped his face with a napkin.

"I'm sure you can find your way home," Hades told him.

Then they were gone.

And Rumpelstiltskin was all by himself with a malformed ankle in a dark diner.

And now, he realized he was very much alone he was.


	9. 4B E08 - In Search of Regina Part 2

Regina was dead, Rumple was missing, Graham killed her, and Emma couldn't help but feel like everything had just sort of blown up.

But here she and Mina were, armed up and walking to the edge of their property to at least find one of their missing party. Mina walked beside her, more silent than usual. Emma could sense from her tenser than usual tense demeanor that something was going on.

"Jonathan wanted to come with?" Emma asked.

"He did," Mina told him, "I told him it wasn't a good idea, I told him we'd keep each other safe."

Damn, Jonathan was hot. Emma thought Neal was better of course, and she loved him. Mina had gotten a score though, "You're a lucky woman."

Mina was grim, "We've ended it. We…. aren't going to work out."

Emma looked over in shock. Jonathan had been her banner call for eight years and now she was ending the relationship after reuniting with him for a couple of days? "Is this because of the Regina thing?"

"That certainly didn't help, but it's also what happened to me after I hunted. I'm not the Mina he married."

Emma focused on the horizon, "I'm sorry."

"It's not right to put him through all that, he has too much time trying to deal with his own thoughts and problems. He doesn't need to be burdened with dealing…. with what I am."

"There's nothing wrong with who you are now," Emma told her.

"I'm a killer."

"You wouldn't be the first one I'm friends with. Probably not the last either. Rumple's got a ledger, so does Regina."

"Regina seems more than just a killer."

"I'm becoming more and more aware of that."

"How long did you know?" Mina asked.

"About the time you arrived into Storybrooke."

Mina sighed, "I just don't understand how you can allow her at your table knowing that."

Emma felt that cloying guilt in her gut that she always did when she took the time to think about this. She sort of missed having a problem to focus on just so she wouldn't have to focus on what sort of influences that Henry would have being around Rumple and Regina, "I don't like it either, but…I mean, I have Henry."

"Far be it from me to question another mother, but if things were different and I found out Killian or another partner raped a woman, Lizzie would be the reason I'd keep away from them, not draw closer."

"Regina's changed, and she loves Henry."

"And Killian would love Lizzie, but he still wouldn't be around her."

"But even you understand that things are complicated," Emma told her, "You of all people would know that. You worked closely with those that had betrayed you in the past. They tried to hurt you and you worked with them anyway. You know how this goes"

"I never LIKED it!" Mina told her, "And yeah, I know how complicated things are, I know that more than anyone. But if it came to a rapist interacting with my kid, it wouldn't happen, there wouldn't be any question about it."

"And the last time we tried to take him away, it nearly destroyed Storybrooke."

"I don't think that's exactly a good argument for why she should be near children."

"Yeah but…she's sorry."

"Is she?"

"Well….," Emma tried to think of the right thing to say, "She's finally starting to understand the fullness of what she's doing."

"Well…at 50, I'd say better late than never. Pity about the trail of bodies until then though"

"I wouldn't tell her that."

"If I have my way, I won't have to see her again at all."

"You can't spend the rest of your eternity on the farm."

"I thought that was the intent. It's got everything we need and it's quiet. I can finally rest."

"You won't do good with quiet."

"I'll make myse lf learn" Mina told her.

Emma let out an embarrassing sound that sounded like a honk and laugh hybrid, "HA! Love to see you sit still willingly for a week."

"I can do it."

"AND not go looking for danger."

Mina stopped, "That might be harder."

Emma turned around to face her, suddenly annoyed "Well that's a fine thank you after everything it took to save your ass."

"What am I supposed to do? Work things out with a husband that I would only hurt? Wait around for things to work out with Killian? Take up knitting again? There's still plenty of injustice here to be fought, we figured that out at the dock."

Emma was grim, "Hades would rip you apart."

"Our children risk ending up here," Mina told her.

"Or maybe you just always need something to fight."

"Is that a bad thing as long as people are safer than what they were?"

"It is if it puts you in Monaxia or worse. I didn't come all this way just to see you throw it away. I spent two weeks having nightmares about you."

"I'm eternally grateful you came to save me, but I think it's been established that I didn't send those dreams to you. So, maybe I'm not the only one ready to go looking for a fight."

Emma stopped, "Excuse me?"

Mina turned, "Maybe you have a hard time sitting still and accepting peace too."

Emma felt like she got hit in the gut. How could Mina think that? After everything that she'd been through, after everything she fought? She wanted nothing more than to settle down with her family and rest.

It wasn't her fault that these things seemed to come after her. She took lead on it because she was the savior, she was the leader.

But did she have to lead? Or was her job as a savior already over? What if it was never over? Saviors didn't get to take a break.

Or was that what she told herself?

"No," Emma said, "No, you're not right."

Mina was quiet, "I'm sorry if I crossed a line."

"You cancan over the line."

"Emma, that's risqué…..and French!"

Whatever, Mina's just angry that she never could speak the language, "I just want to get my family and go home, I came after you because I owed a debt, and I thought you were calling to me for help."

Mina shifted, "Yeah well, you thinking I'm worth that is still something difficult to process."

Emma watched her shrink a bit, she had seen her vulnerable plenty of times in the three weeks they'd known each other, but still felt she needed to say it, "You're worth it."

"You won't always think that."

"Well, we'll see…," Emma turned to leave, "Unless you get your dumb ass thrown in the pit before I come back."

As they approached the edge of the property, the border they'd set up rippled. Someone was on the other side.

Emma immediately stopped and summoned a fireball. Mina raised a handgun, ready to fire on who it was.

Rumple stumbled through. His tie was gone, his sleeves were rolled up, his hair was matted and the knees of his pants were ripped, like he'd fallen a few times.

"Oh my god," Emma whispered and raced over. She caught him before he landed in the dirt, "Rumple, what happened?"

Mina kept the gun lowered away from them but ready as she ran to stand over them, guarding them from whomever might have followed them in.

Rumple looked up, there was something different in his eyes, something vulnerable and terrified. That knowing glint was gone, and Emma knew automatically something had happened and the Dark One was gone.

He held Emma's shoulders, "Emma, we're in so much trouble."

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Of all the things that happened in her day, Regina hadn't expected to get shot; it was a surprise when Graham lifted the gun aimed at her head. She didn't have enough time to defend herself.

And then she was falling. It could have been a few seconds; it could have been an eternity. But Regina somehow knew it was impossible that she would survive this.

She expected to feel fear as she died, but she didn't, she felt warm and peace…and she was alright with knowing that Henry would be safe. Emma would keep him safe. Regina could finally sleep.

And then…she hit the ground and there was darkness.

It felt like a fever dream after that. Her dreaming felt shallow and disorganized. Nothing made sense, but she couldn't bring herself out of the dreams. She felt like she was warm at first, but then she sensed that she was in somewhere dark and cold.

She forced her eyes open and found that she was still on what looked like a small round stage, with one step down. Regina started to move and then felt what she was sure was a knot of pain inside her head where she'd been shot.

She lifted her hand and felt her forehead, there was nothing there; no hole, no scar tissue, nothing.

Regina was dead.

That peace that she initially felt was shattered, Regina buried her head against the wooden floor and gave a small sob. She realized immediately the gravity of her situation; she was trapped while Henry would get to go home without her.

How long would she last before her mother corrupted her?

And, where WAS she?

Regina opened her eyes and looked around. It was dim, there were torches on the wall but Regina could see the walls were dirt. Five hallways extended out from where she was kneeling all around her.

This was fine, she'd just….teleport out of here, she'd go outside the property and call for her family. Henry at least needed to know that she was alright.

Regina summoned her magic, ready to get out of here, the purple smoke enveloped her…

…only for her to fall from the ceiling and land hard on the wooden floor.

Regina cursed as she felt the wind being knocked out of her. She struggled to stand and limped down the step and onto the packed dirt floor.

Look like she needed to find a way out the old-fashioned way.

She heard a grown behind her. She turned around slowly to see a pair of red eyes light up the darkness.

Great. Where was the monster hunting bitch when she needed her?

Fine, Regina could fight a glowing eyed monster.

Another pair of eyes lit up next to the first pair, and another growl joined in.

Wait a minute….

A third pair joined…and she heard a third growl…

Well Regina wasn't exactly wondering where Cerberus was, but now she knew.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Emma knew they had been banned from the house on the grounds of Regina coming down there with them and Graham needed his space. She respected that, she understood it and she kept her distance. There had been nothing she could offer Graham in terms of any acceptable apology that she had known about what happened to him and still chosen ignore it and let Regina earn her way to seeing Henry again.

But when Rumpelstiltskin walks across the cloaked border with a limp and no Dark One attached, then you pay attention.

She didn't find Milah in her room, or Killian in his. Nor did she find them putting…itching powder in Rumple's bed or whatever they might do together to mess with him. They weren't in the house, and Emma made sure to search everywhere before she stood in front of the door that led to Graham and Liam's room.

She had to face him sooner or later.

She raised a hand and knocked. When no one answered, she started pounding until Killian finally opened it, "What?!"

Emma instinctively looked around him and saw that Milah was sitting up on the bed. On a considerable distance, Graham and Liam were starting to stir.

What sort of…

No, Emma was just hoping that they were comforting Graham. She looked up and took a breath, "Rumple's back."

"He was gone?"

Emma ignored that, "He came back without the Dark One attached."

It took a beat, and the bleariness in Killian's eyes gave way to realization and he grabbed his coat, "You lot stay here."

"Like hell," Milah stood, also understanding the importance that something bad must have happened.

Liam turned to his husband, "Are you alright here by yourself or do you want me to stay?"

Graham shook his head, "I'd rather watch from the stairs."

Liam nodded, "All you have to do is say something and they'll be gone."

"No, no I can handle this. As long as she's not down there…" 

"You'll be okay," Liam promised, "We're not going to let anything happen to you."

Liam walked past Emma without looking at her. Emma lowered her gaze a bit when Graham passed, "Graham…I-."

"I didn't mean to do it in front of Henry," he looked at her, "I'm sorry he saw it."

"I'm sorry too…about all of it."

"She can't come back here."

"I know. She won't."

He took a breath and walked with Emma to go watch the newest fallout.

0000000000000000000

As Rumpelstiltskin confessed to them the deal that he had made, he thought for sure that there would be anger, there would be a lot of thrown appliances and screaming and name calling but there was only just a lot of tense silence.

"So," Emma said and he tried to read her face, "Those of us responsible for protecting ourselves, won't see our family for a thousand years."

"Yeah," Rumple whispered.

"But…you're telling me I'm losing my family again?" Mina asked, "I just GOT my family back less than a week ago!" Mina said.

"Sweetheart," Jonathan turned and took her hand, "There was no other choice, didn't you hear him? Hades was threatening worse."

"Then we could fight him...," Emma started but even she knew they had no chance.

"There's no way he can," Snow whispered, "He knows where we are, he knows he can kill us and separate us."

"Rumple," Charming started, "you did the right thing…"

Rumple didn't feel like he did.

Belle put her hand on his, "You did what you had to do to get out of there safely, you did the right thing. You protected us…"

"Well," Emma started, "What if we don't sign?"

"He didn't leave the choice up to you, he left it to Rumple," Alex said with his hands clenched.

"This is the best deal I think we're going to get," Rumple said, "And it's terrible. I know it is. Do you think I'd give him the Dark One if I thought we had any other choice?"

Everyone shifted uncomfortably, he felt Belle squeeze his hand, "You didn't do anything wrong. We can NOT fight Hades; we can NOT afford to defeat him or kill him. We can't afford what his children and wife will do to us if we try."

Rumple looked at his family, "I didn't get the right to ask for your consents to this, he wouldn't let me. But this was the best deal. We all get out alive."

"I don't get to see Henry for a thousand years," Emma looked up, "I won't get to see my parents…I spent 28 years looking for them, and this is how it ends."

"It doesn't end," Charming said, "Henry gets to leave here, he gets to be safe."

"I know that, I'm trying to think of a…I'm trying to think of a way where we can get out of this without losing anyone," Emma bit her thumbnail

"I don't know that there is a chance…"

Emma stood up, "Well, we have sundown to figure it out, don't we?"

She stood up to go to the kitchen to make herself some coffee. She heard the footsteps behind her to know that Mina had followed her, "Are you going to be the little voice in my ear for the rest of the night?"

Mina sat on the stool, "I'm going to sign it. It's posturing at this point as it was left up to Rumple to make the decision but I think I'm going to stand behind him on it."

"Do you know what this means?"

"That you get to leave alive," Mina reminded her, "You weren't supposed to be down here in the first place, you were tricked."

"I can still take my family and bolt."

"He knows where we are, I think we're way beyond that now," Mina told her, "He has an army, and you have a son who is 13."

"Who I won't see for a thousand years," Emma reminded her.

"Who you might have a long life with above world before you're separated. He won't get that here"

"And you also know what this means, right?" Emma asked, "For you? You'll lose your family again, you won't be able to see them for a millennium, that includes Lizzie. If Killian chooses to stay with you then she'll never know who her parents were and by the time you see her again, that curiosity might be replaced with something else."

"I'm terrible aware of that."

"How can you be so calm then?"

"I'm not calm, Emma. I want to rip the gods apart and I'm so angry I might succeed."

Emma heard the tranquil rage in her voice and forced herself to calm down. Mina was in hunting mode, she was strategizing. Mina knew how to fight, she knew how to win, that could be to Emma's advantage, "So let's go then, we win every fight we pick."

"When you won, you had no choice but to win. Your lives depended on it," Mina reminded her, "The hardest lesson I had to learn when I was hunting is that sometimes it's safer and best to do nothing. Sometimes they will win. I fought to avoid it but it was reality."

"My reality was rocked when I found out my family was a bunch of fairy tales. Don't you know the stories? We're supposed to win."

Mina put her hand on Emma's, "You win by leaving alive. You don't get to be me and do what I did. You don't get to do something that'll kill yourself and hurt your kid, you don't get to lay in bed in this afterlife and lie to yourself and say it was the better option because at least she's alive and she won't have you for a mother. You don't- ...you're better than me, Emma. You have to be better."

Emma grabbed the coffee mug and threw it across the room, "I hate this."

"No one likes it."

Emma fought tears, "I have to see Henry."

Mina waited till she was gone, she unclenched her hands and stared for a few moments at how hard they were shaking and rested her head in her hands. The one thing she had hoped for when she died was that she'd finally be at peace but even here the fates beat her down. She had hoped to see her father, husband and eventually mother again.

And she would, but in a thousand years? And the Charmings would have the same bounty hanging over their head knowing that whenever they died, they'd not see Emma until Hades deal was complete.

She pulled back to see her father standing there in the doorway. She felt like the world was weighing her down as she pulled herself off the stood and went to stand in front of him.

They didn't say anything, his eyes held it all, the regret that he'd lied to them for years, the guilt that it'd all led to her being down here, estranged from her mother and leaving her daughter an orphan and now she knew that that price came with an ending blow that just made everything worse.

A tear slipped down her face as she moved around him without saying anything.

They couldn't waste time, there was still so much they had to do.

000000000000000000

Everything in Henry's mind had been a whirlwind since Graham had shot his mother. At first, he thought that she might come back. Maybe she blocked it, or maybe her soul would somehow replace her body and she'd sit up, but she hadn't. She hadn't moved.

His other mom had tried to block his view but he'd seen his mother be killed in front of him.

Everything was a blur after that, they took the body away, they kept him away from the barn where they put her. Henry knew about sex, he had been given the talk by Charming and his dad, but he didn't really know what to make of it when it was forced, he never really THOUGHT about it and he didn't know what to make of it that his mom was a rapist.

Did knowing make him love her less? No. But it also meant he felt more guilty because he still loved her. After everything she'd done, this was just another thing on a long list of crimes she'd done before she changed.

But she had changed, she didn't go back to what she was before.

That didn't change what happened.

She didn't deserve to die like that.

He was so confused.

He at least knew that whatever loving her made him, he didn't deserve to see her die like that.

"How are you feeling, Henry?" Snow asked as they sat in the grass picking at blades.

He shrugged, "I feel like I should be sobbing in a ball somewhere but I just feel…numb."

Snow glanced at him, "You probably haven't processed it yet. It took me a few days to feel something after my mother died."

He looked at her, "How did you know when it sunk in?"

Snow tugged on more grass, "I was never one for needlework. My mother could make a handkerchief out of anything but I was lucky to get a simple flower on a decorative pillow made. After she passed, and a few days after her funeral I got my needlework right… and I was so happy that I wanted to tell her….and then I realized that I couldn't."

Henry wiped a tear away, "I don't want to feel like that."

"No one does."

"I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about her now."

"No one does," Snow said again.

They sat in silence for a few more moments until Emma came outside with Neal and went to sit on the porch steps. The air filled with tension before Emma finally spoke up, "They think it's a good deal."

"It's a terrible deal," Neal told her, "But I can't think of a better one."

Emma took his hand, and she kept her eyes on Henry, "Do you…want to talk about what's going on?"

Henry didn't know what really to say to Emma. What could he say that felt right? Or would that also come once he processed that Regina was dead, "We get to leave."

"We do," Emma struggled to find the right words to say, "And when you pass, hopefully decades and decades from now, you get to immediately go to paradise…and you will, because you lived a good life."

"But you won't."

Emma was quiet, "Not for a thousand years, no. Not unless we find a way around it."

"You don't realize how long that is until you start thinking out the years individually," Henry tossed a pebble away from the grass he was tugging out of the ground, "But Grandpa's saying a lot worse will happen if we don't."

"I don't like having this hanging over my head when I die," Emma shifted, "I've had so much decided for me, it feels like my life was prewritten here so that I would be the savior and now I die to immediately be separated from my family. There has to be another way."

"Emma," Neal whispered, "My dad gave up the Dark One to make this deal. And remember, this is my dad we're talking about, if he didn't see a way out then maybe there isn't a way out."

"I don't want to give up. What if we sign this contract and think of something later?"

"At least we'll be alive to think of it."

Emma knew deep down that she was being stubborn at this point. Here she was acting like she had a choice when the decision had already been made for her a few hours ago. Maybe that was part of why she was so angry and against it.

And a thousand years without Henry and her parents…without Neal and whatever kids they might have together later…what else would she have for a millennium? Regina? Killian and his family? Mina?

A lot could change in a year. What happened when a thousand passed? How changed would both parties be when so much time passed that they didn't remember how the other was before?

But Emma knew that Rumple had made that decision for them for a reason, worse waited if they didn't. If he gave up the Dark One, he had truly been cornered.

And that's another thing that terrified and angered her. She always had Rumple, who always stayed one step ahead of everything in the end. He had proven that time and time again that he was allied with them as a family. If he could find no solution for once, then where did that leave them?

Emma went to kneel in front of her son, "I'm doing what I'm doing so that we can all leave alive. You know that right?"

He looked up, "I know."

"And a thousand years can pass, a million years can pass, and I'll still always love you."

"You don't even have to say that, mom."

Emma brushed some of his hair back and kissed his forehead.

She stood up and walked up the stairs to the living room where Rumple had his bad leg elevated. Emma took in the injury; she took in the ankle the size of the cantaloupe and immediately summoned her magic to heal the injury. He'd never walk on an injured ankle again

Rumple watched her for a moment and then nodded his thanks.

"Where do I sign?" she asked

Rumple nodded to the paper, "It has your name printed."

Emma had to force herself to pick up the pen. Emma's name had only eight letters, but signing it took all her energy and left her drained as soon as she let the pen drop.

"I know it feels like we're surrendering," Rumple told her, "We're not. We're surviving. Sometimes that's all you can do, even if it means that you're selling your soul to do it."

Emma looked up at him grimly. "We have a lifetime to find a way out of it."

He nodded, "And we'll live to be very old."

"And if we don't…"

"If we don't…well, I'm not much in terms of family to you, but you are to me. I'll keep you safe."

"You're too hard on yourself," Emma told him, "You're family."

She saw that Mina had already signed; the only spot empty was Red's.

"There's something else we're not thinking about," Rumple told her.

Emma looked up, waiting.

"The deal was that Jonathan and Alexander would move on. And we would choose two more."

Emma understood immediately, "So which two are we supposed to pick?"

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The good thing about being friends with James is that sometimes Melinoë was able to catch him as he was going up to her parents to report on the latest dealings with the trespassers. She'd been boredly balancing on a table in the front foyer when he came in and she immediately followed.

"They haven't found Cora yet?" she asked as he chatted. Sometimes he wasn't allowed to tell her before he told her parents but he usually filled her in on the lesser things…. like the mayor still being gone, "Do you think they got her?"

"I don't think so," James said as they walked together, "I think she's hiding for now. They got Pan though, but they cloaked themselves as they went to do…whatever they did to him."

"Well I doubt mother and father will shed many tears for HIM," she muttered.

"I doubt they'll shed many tears for Cora either if we're to be quite honest."

They turned the corner and both stopped when they heard shouting and glass being broken. James immediately drew his gun and pushed Melinoë behind him as he advanced down the hallway towards her parents sitting room.

The doors were shut, but they both saw Melinoë's younger siblings all gathered at the door looking terrified.

James quickly put away the gun, "What happened?"

"Mommy and daddy are fighting," Diana whispered and flinched when they heard more glass breaking.

Melinoë tensed, her parents always handled their disagreements civilly and away where the kids could hear it. Everything else they tackled as a team and the kids had rarely ever seen a disagreement when they had to sit in at court.

It had to be bad.

James seemed to realize this as well as he glanced at Melinoë and then at the kids, "You know…I think the cooks hid a bunch of ice cream in the lower refrigeration areas of the palace, perhaps it's best we let your parents discuss whatever they're discussing."

It took a few more moments of coaxing before James managed to lure them away. Melinoë lingered and James came back to put his hand on her elbow, "That includes you."

"Something's wrong."

"Obviously, and we'll find out what happened soon enough but I'm the protector of the royal children and that includes you."

Melinoë hesitated, but James wouldn't budge, she knew he wouldn't and she forced herself to walk away with him and her siblings.

"It'll be alright," James promised her.

"Not when they're like this," she whispered back.

000000000000000000000000000000

Hades knew as soon as he made the deal with Rumpelstiltskin that it was likely there would be members of his family that might be pissed at him for going over their heads and making deals without their consent.

It was likely for Rumple; it was definite with him.

And he knew that as soon as Persephone threw the first vase at his head.

"Stop this!" He demanded and used his magic to repair the next several antiques she threw at him.

"YOU WERE GONE FOR THAT?!" she threw another one.

"Persephone!"

She stormed over, "So you could make deals with THEM?!"

"We have to face reality; we can't completely win this or be justified in taking revenge. Our sons attacked them, you know what they did, Persephone."

"We don't compromise," she shoved him away angrily, "We're gods. We've turned people into things for far less than murdering our children!"

"Should I list the accusations they've accused our sons of?"

Her launching an ancient ashtray he used as a paperweight across the room was his answer

"They get to live unpunished?"

"The ones directly responsible will be away from their families for a millennia."

"You should have made it ten."

"I had to be realistic!" he snapped.

"They spend a thousand years here, which is a blink to us and then they get to move on? Tell me darling, how is that justice?"

"What would be justice then?" he demanded, "That they stay here when they die? Where we and our children live? That we put them in the pit?"

"Yes!"

"And would you call that justice?" he asked, "Would you consider that closure? Would you lay away at night and know that every piece of you felt justice was served and there wasn't any sliver of you that thought you were wrong and they defended themselves as best they could?"

Persephone looked away and angrily wiped a tear.

"It's the best we can do," he told her, "Our children will be safe, this cycle of revenge will not continue, the ones that had a direct hand in killing him will be punished."

"It's a light punishment."

"Not to them. Humans change from day to day. What do you think a thousand years will do?"

She looked at him with a glare so hateful, that he felt there might be a small chance this betrayal might mean she didn't love him anymore, "You went to do this without me."

"We both agreed our sons attacked those women,"

"That doesn't mean we negotiate with them," she wiped another tear away from her eyes, "You should have told me."

"You would've never let me go alone."

"No, I wouldn't have."

"And I couldn't let you see the man that helped murder both our sons. I don't think you would've handled the negotiations well."

"Because I'm too emotional?" she mocked.

"Because you still blame yourself for everything that happened."

She recoiled at that, like he'd hit her. She turned a blind eye to her children and what they'd done over the centuries. She told herself that it was their right. They were adults and they were gods; it was only natural they preyed on humanity. But she still secretly blamed herself for not being able to fight off Zeus…for not knowing that it was him disguised as her husband.

And she'd never forgive herself for not protecting Zagreus.

Now three sons were dead because they had to protect her when she, a powerful goddess, couldn't protect herself.

"What happened was never your fault," he told her, "And perhaps I should have told you what I was going to do. I'm sorry I didn't, I'm sorry that this presented itself as the best option, but Persephone…I didn't know what else to do. So, I took everything I could. The ones involved will face 1000 years separation, the Dark One and Rumple are no longer linked, Mina Harker and Emma Swan all lose their families…. they are punished and we avoid a war. Our children will get to live, we won't have to avenge them and they won't have to avenge us. Maybe there was a better way, but I couldn't see it. Not when it could cost something of our family."

Persephone blinked back tears, "I can't forgive them for what they did."

"I know," he whispered, "But please, please forgive me, I can't do this without you. Some days you being by my side is the only reason I can get out of bed and face this realm. You, our children, they brighten everything they touch. You and they are the only ones that matter…and if it means that I have to negotiate with those like them to keep as many of you as I can then I'll do it."

Persephone closed her eyes and rested her forehead on his, "This wasn't the best way."

"I think taking them from their families is the best punishment we can give them."

"I thought we were only going to stand back and let them kill each other."

"That didn't happen, only Regina died."

"Hmm," Persephone didn't even bother to care.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," she held his face, "But you're a bastard sometimes."

"I know"

"Don't ever do that again."

"I can't promise that, not if it means avoiding losing you and the kids."

"Bastard," she whispered through tears and kissed him passionately.

He wasn't completely forgiven, and he knew that would take a while to build up that trust again. But he hadn't lost her, and he could face whatever came next.

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As the day went on, Emma started to really understand what she had been signed into.

She kept Henry close, as if she might lose him by day's end, and Neal sensed that she was upset and stayed close by too.

Emma both wanted and didn't want the hovering. She felt that if she sent him away to focus on his father then she'd be giving away a moment she could have with him that she'd regret not having in her millennia of being away from him.

There had to be another way.

Why was everyone just giving up?

There was still so much they had to do and only a limited number of hours to do it; they had to find Regina, they had to get everyone together to figure out who would cross over.

"Emma," she heard her mother say as she poured over maps of the tunnels for an entrance to locate Regina, "Emma, do you want talk about it?"

"I don't have time to talk." Emma said, "We can talk when we get above ground but for now, we have to make sure Regina is safe and the others aren't going to end up being punished for us coming here."

Red was ready to go but the tunnels went thousands and thousands of miles under the ever-expanding underworld. Regina could be anywhere. Emma was also down one dark one and locations spells didn't work on the dead.

And she couldn't figure why, but she felt like Regina was running out of time.

000000000000000

Cerberus was unstoppable.

Regina fled through the tunnels as the beast constantly searched for her. She had healed herself through magic but it was extremely limited. She had not a cut on her, but now every step, every turn sent never-ending agony through her from where she'd been attacked.

Her heart raced in her chest and beat so loud in her ears that she was sure the three headed dog could hear it. Her legs shook in terror as she heard him howl not too far behind. She'd lose him for a time, but he knew the tunnels like the Minotaur knew its own labyrinth. It wasn't long before he found her, and if she stopped to rest or fell then he'd zero in on her all the faster. The last time that the monster been on top of her and nearly ripped her to pieces.

She had to get out but every entrance she'd found had been blocked and she'd been cornered.

She had passed the last four doors without even trying. Not with Cerberus snapping at her heels.

Then she saw a set of stairs that she knew she couldn't risk going up initially…but when she saw the door, she saw daylight shining through the cracks. IT didn't occur to her until she lay eyes on that door that she hadn't seen any light yet. Was it just because it'd been night? Or was it different somehow?

She heard Cerberus growling not that far behind her.

She could make it…

She forced herself to take the stairs that led up to the door. Her calves cramped, her breathing quickened, as she realized how steep they felt as she pulled herself up them one by one.

She reached for the doorknob.

Something that she knew were teeth clamped down on her ankle and dragged her down the stairs. Her face hit the stone steps, breaking her nose again. She felt skin and muscle tear under the dog's mouth and knew that this time she probably wasn't going to get up.

She was just so tired and there was no way out.

Then, the hallway flooded with light. Regina looked up to see the door open.

Cerberus growled, standing guard over her like he was guarding his kill from another dog.

Fire hit Cerberus, and sent him yelping away, Regina instinctively curled up to protect her injuries.

"Regina, you have to come out."

Regina's blood ran cold as she heard the voice and looked up to see her mother, "Mother…"

"I can't go in, the door might lock behind me, you have to bring yourself out now."

Regina would rather be ripped apart by the three headed hellhound but she could at least escape her mother.

She used her elbows and knee to pull herself up the stairs.

Cerberus would be back soon. She thought about that as she used her mangled leg to propel herself further up to the stairs.

Then the fresh air and light washed over her like cool water and she rolled out of the way of the door.

Her mother closed it, sent fire on it to melt the lock and knelt over her, "Oh Regina, what's happened to you?" 

Regina was shaking so hard from exhaustion and pain that she couldn't focus at first, but she did manage a sentence out, "How did you find me?"

"There are stories all over about how you were dead, and I have my magic dear, I managed to locate you before anyone else did."

Her mother reached out to caress her face. Regina instinctively rolled away, "I have to go."

"You can't even walk, Regina…you're in bad shape. If you just trust me…"

"No," Regina told her, "Every time I trust you, it backfires on me. There's something WRONG with you."

Cora blinked, "I'm your mother."

"And because there's something wrong with you, there's something wrong with me. You helped make me like this," Regina struggled to stand but her bad leg couldn't hold any weight and she collapsed, "I have a family and they're not you."

"Your family let you die."

And logically she knew that they had no time to react, and she should take her vengeance out on Graham. There was a part of her that hated him for shooting her.

And then she realized WHY he killed her, and the depravity of what she did fully sank in as she realized that she had faced her victim with no warning that she'd systematically destroyed.

She was going to be sick.

"I did this," Regina whispered.

"Regina, you can come home, and we'll talk about it."

Regina couldn't. Her mother would twist things, her mother would try to get her on her side and if that failed, her mother would hurt her on the belief that she loved her and was doing what was best.

"No," Regina told her angrily, "You don't have any power over me anymore."

Her mother reached out, Regina waved a hand over herself and disappeared before her mother could either 'comfort' her or use magic to somehow force her to come along.

And landed in the house that Liam, Killian, Milah, and Graham had lived at before they went on the run.

The house had been destroyed by what she guessed was either Hades or burglars. Drawers were pulled out; mattresses and cushions were overturned Regina lay on the floor of the wrecked house trying not to panic for a few moments before she pulled herself together and healed herself. The relief was immediate but the strain had still made her so tired.

But she was still covered with blood. She at least needed to shower.

A warm shower after dying would probably do everyone some good

0000000000000000000000000000000000

Emma was taking too long, so Red took her grandmother and went to town to start her search. Emma could catch up, she had magic, she could teleport but Red wasn't wasting anymore time.

Her grandmother followed. Now that she was dead, she kept up with Red's fast pace remarkably well.

They would be leaving soon, Red thought. She might not see her grandmother after this, not for a thousand years and by then it felt like it would be too late. Red knew that if she waited so long, then she might become numb to what she had done and it wouldn't hurt as much when she was finally allowed to cross over.

"Do you think we'll be able to find a way out of this?" she asked her grandmother.

"I think it'd be crazy to continue poking the gods that apparently exist," Granny said.

Red sniffed the air, no hint of Regina, she had to keep moving, "It's probably best, at least for me."

"Why would you say that?"

Red looked at her and felt the tears prickling her eyes, "Granny, I killed him."

"I know, sweetheart. You defended your friends, you helped save the town and countless others. The people he could've killed will live because of what you did."

"I didn't do it to save them," Red finally choked out, "Not really, I did it because he killed you. You were the only family I had left and in the end, he took you and I…I snapped…and now I have to live with it."

"Red…" 

Red wiped the frustrated tears away, "And it just left me empty. I felt like I sank to his level because I crossed that line and it didn't bring you back and now, I relive it every night while I'm trying to sleep."

"You saved lives."

"I took revenge," Red said, more frustrated, "And if I tell myself I did it to save lives then it feels like justification and then it'll be easier to do again. It's still a life and he was helpless when I killed him. He wasn't a threat at the moment."

"He eventually would have been and you did the right thing," Granny stood up a bit straighter, "Do you think my heart is shiny and pure, it has it's dark spots the same as anyone else's. Try as we might, our heart won't remain the way we want it to. Life and the world won't allow it. So, we do what we have to and if the rules of our universe deem that that darkens our heart then we have to accept that sometimes it's inevitable. It's just how life experiences work. It doesn't mean that you'll become a tyrannical dictator, it just means that you made a decision. What happens after that is up to you."

Red wiped a tear from her eye, it made more sense when her grandmother posed it like that "I miss you so much."

"I miss you too."

Red hugged her tightly, "But I don't want you to be here. I want you to be able to move on."

Granny pulled away, "What are you saying?" 

"I'm saying the condition for us getting to leave is that four people have to cross over. Jonathan and Alex were forced to be the first two. I want you to be the third."

"Do you realize what you're asking me?"

Red nodded.

"I wouldn't see you for a thousand years."

"But you have your parents that you miss, and your brothers, and your husband. I don't know if my mom is there…I hope she is. I don't want you to feel like

you have to stay for me."

"But when you're down here, you'll be alone."

"I won't be alone. I'll have our family and friends. You deserve better than waiting for me in this place."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Red lied, but she wanted to tell her 'no.' But the condition was that four people got to leave and as far as she was concerned, her grandmother had more than paid her dues with as much as she'd been through. If anyone deserved peace it was her. Not waiting what was probably decades and a thousand years just for her.

"I'll be there for you," she promised Red, "When you finally are allowed over."

"I know," Red whispered and embraced her grandmother

They walked together, talking more at ease as they searched the streets. They told each other things they never got the chance to say to the other and Red was visibly more relaxed as she considered what her grandmother had said about her dark heart.

And then, close by the old Jones house, she smelled Regina. She knew where she was immediately as she picked up her pace and went to open the door.

Regina was coming downstairs, dressed in a robe that was too 'Regina' to belong to Milah and a damp head of hair that she was drying with a towel.

They stopped when they saw each other.

"I'll give you some privacy," Granny said.

A moment passed, they heard the front door close and Red rushed forward. Regina dropped the towel she was holding to grab Red's face and pull her into a passionate kiss.

"I've been looking everywhere for you," Red told her.

"I was in some tunnels," Regina started and shook it off, "It doesn't matter."

Something was wrong, but she knew Regina was temporary desperate to forget it and kissed Red again before pulling away.

"I need to see Henry."

0000000000000000000000000

When it was announced that Regina had been found, there wasn't much middle ground on how everyone reacted to the news. It was either immense joy and relief or immense anger, fear, and apprehension. The only ones that sort of went in the middle were Charming, Belle and Neal.

When Emma left with Henry, it was around 3 in the afternoon. Emma had promised to everyone in the living room that she would not bring Regina back. Graham paced anyway, he sweated nervously and refused to drink the tea or eat the cakes that Jonathan had tried to make to get him to feel better.

Mina leaned against the doorway where she had a good view of the door. It wasn't exactly asked of her that she remain there. But every time she moved, Graham would shoot her a panicked look, so now she was stuck.

"How is he?" Killian asked as he came up to stand by her.

"Not well," Mina said.

Killian looked at his brother in law with concern. Liam and Milah were both there, sharing the bond that they had formed while he had been alive and pirating. He would never be part of that bond and that made him feel like the odd one out in the house.

"He could always move on," Killian suggested quietly, "That way they weren't sharing purgatory together."

"And leave his husband?"

Liam wasn't ready to go over yet. Purgatory had its people that hated it but Liam didn't hate it, he was actually quite happy and was in no rush to go to a new place where everything would be different.

He would go when Graham would go, but until Regina showed up, Graham had been very happy as well.

Maybe they could go together, but that would leave Milah. They came in a set now, it seemed.

"You could always move on," Mina offered.

"I'm staying," Killian told her, "It wouldn't be right to move on so soon after reuniting with the brother and lover I spent centuries getting revenge over. And I'm not ready to face what's waiting for me. I think I'll just continue working off my sins and being with my family."

"How long do you think THAT'LL take?" Mina asked

"Probably I don't know…about a thousand years?"

Mina snorted after a minute, "Did you think that was going to enchant me?"

She was never enchanted by his pick-up lines. Death did not warm her up to them and so he dropped all pretense of flirting and went serious, "I'm staying with you."

"Don't be daft," Mina told him, "You'll move on when you're ready to move on. We had a week and we had a child because of that week, you saved me from your father…you don't…owe me anymore than that."

"I keep you sane." 

"You do not."

"I'm the voice of reason," he smirked.

"Never to me."

"And now look where you are."

Mina drew back at his audacity and scoffed, "What a prick thing to say"

"I mean, you already knew THAT about me."

Mina glanced over her shoulder to see her husband was still in the room talking with Milah and giving concerned looks to Graham.

"Why should you stay for me?" she asked.

"Because that week, we were friends," he told her, "And when you left, I cared enough about you to offer you more than that. You said no because I was a former pirate and you were a hunter; those were two different lives and we were in two different places in our lives. I care about you, and it's not because we'd had a baby together, it was because I fancied you. There you were so hurt and angry and broken but you still woke up every day to struggle to do good and I saw something from you that I could strive to be. You showed me that something like that was possible even the days where it's so hard to do the right thing. You were normal and you went to fight those far more powerful than you because for you it was the right thing to do.

"You're putting me on a pedestal, Killian." She warned.

"No," he told her, "You're precisely where you deserve to be."

"I can't promise you a romance," Mina told him, "Once I lose them…I'll have basically buried them again. And to lose Lizzie and my friends and to have face Dracula again…I won't be myself for a very long time."

"I don't ask for romance now. I know better than to ask that from you. I just wish to be here with you. Perhaps if…perhaps if you can heal, then I can see how it's done and heal as well."

"I don't know how to be whole again," Mina whispered harshly and wiped a tear away.

"Well, good thing we have a thousand years to figure it out," he gave a glance to Jonathan, "And maybe after the thousand years is over…I'll have come somewhat close to redeeming myself."

He gave her an affectionate peck on the cheek before anyone noticed and walked off.

And while she stood watch, and while Jonathan came over to hold her from behind and watch the front with her, she thought about the possibility of a future with bloody Killian Jones.

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Emma hadn't wanted to announce just yet that they'd found Regina, especially not with Graham in the room but there was no way she would've been able to go anywhere with Henry without being found out. So, she went…knowing full well that there was a risk of Regina's family and enemies following.

But no one did. And Emma found herself standing in front of Regina, holding Henry's shoulder in front of the Jones house.

They were walking up the steps when the door flew open and Regina ran down them, "Henry!"

Henry met her halfway and hugged her tightly, Regina wrapped him up in a suffocating embrace, but her eyes went down both ends of the street suspiciously, "Were you followed?"

"No."

Regina reluctantly pulled away and led them both up the stairs.

"Where were you?" Henry asked.

"In some tunnels," Regina started, 'I don't want to talk about it." 

"How did you figure out they unlocked them?"

"My mother did," Regina looked away, "I don't want to talk about that either."

Emma nodded and went to shut and lock the door.

"Henry, I'm so sorry you had to see that," Regina knelt down, "Are you okay?"

Henry nodded, "Mom, he said you did some things- is it true?"

Regina lowered her eyes and drew in a sharp breath, "That's not…something I should be discussing with you."

"So, it is true"

Regina ran a hand through her hair, "There's nothing I can say that's going to make any of what happened better, I know that and I'm sorry you had to find out and I'm sorry that I did all the things he's probably accused me of. I guess, the only thing I can do is try to be better."

A tear slipped down Henry's face, "I don't want to leave you down here."

Regina hugged him again, she wouldn't let Henry see but Emma saw the grief and pain in her eyes, "Someone has to keep this place safe from my mom, Henry. Maybe here I can stand up for her in the way I should have when she came to Storybrooke."

"You could be a hero," Henry trialed off.

"Better late than never, I guess," Regina muttered and kept her eyes on Emma.

They needed to talk.

"Henry, why don't you go get some things that the others at the house might need?" Emma offered.

Regina hugged Henry closer.

"You can have him the rest of the night," Emma told her, "But there's some things we have to talk about."

When Henry was gone upstairs and they were alone, Regina started, "Where's my body?"

"I preserved it and it's currently laid out on a table in the barn," when Regina made a face, Emma was quick to defend herself, "It's clean, there's no animals in there since you've been well…it's not like they would've let your body in the house Regina. WE weren't even allowed in the house for a while."

"Do me a favor and bury me in Storybrooke. I'd rather not be stuck here body and soul. I have a feeling my enemies in our family might dance on the grave if you did."

"I'll bury you in a nice place."

Regina toyed with her ring that Daniel gave her, "Well that's that then. Someone finally killed me." 

"I'm sorry, Regina. I should've realized he would be there and he wouldn't be happy to see you."

"You should've," Regina said sharply and then softened, "But I probably should've realized it too. What's weird is that it doesn't feel like I'm dead. Nothing feels colder, my emotions are still there. I have to keep reminding myself that I won't get to go with you."

Emma shoved her hands in her pockets, "Will you be okay here?"

"Once it's cleaned up."

Emma took a breath, "A lots happened since you were…. killed."

Regina lifted her head, "Oh?"

Emma filled her in on everything that had happened in the past 24 hours, Regina listened and then her face started to fall as she realized that Hades had managed to outwit them while giving them what they wanted.

"So, when all is said and done, you'll be leaving in the morning?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded, "I think we'll be pushing our luck staying past that."

And she wouldn't have Henry again. She would be separated again from her son and Emma would be separated for even longer. Once that might've given Regina a smug sort of joy but she didn't feel it now.

"Are you serious about going against your mother?" Emma asked.

"I am," Regina nodded, "I Know what you're going to say, I know you're worried that she might corrupt me again but I think her hold over me is broken."

"That's good to hear, I hope it is."

Regina's eyes filled with tears, "Please keep him safe, Emma."

"I will."

"He's the best thing the both of us have ever had."

"I know."

Regina closed her eyes and took a breath, "There's two still that need to cross over with Ms. Harker's husband and father. Granny's one of them."

"There's some debate going over who might be the fourth one. We were thinking of just announcing it in town and having people line up."

"There's no need for that," Regina told her, "I've figured it out. It's actually sort of obvious."

"Who?"

"We're going to need a shovel."

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Emma had healed his leg. But the journey back had been painful and exhausting for Rumpelstiltskin and once he was done making the others realize that they might not want to fight this battle about the contract here, he'd stumbled upstairs and collapsed in bed.

It wasn't the right time, but he was human again and now he had human limitations. He needed to rest.

When he woke up, he felt a little feverish. Belle gave him some water and sat by his side, reading a book while he dozed on and off.

Around 4, he woke up, and blearily looked for Belle, but found Alex sitting by his bed instead, "You should be with your daughter."

"We talked earlier. I think we've said all we were going to say," Alex closed his eyes, "Twelve years gone, there's a disconnect there…we don't want it to be there but it is to some extent. And it won't be rectified anytime soon, will it?"

Rumple was quiet and watched Abe sob a bit, "I don't want to cross over, Rumpelstiltskin. I don't want to leave her again when things feel unresolved between us."

"I'm sorry, Alex. When I signed that contract, I felt like I had no other choice."

"You signed it and I won't see her for a thousand years"

"It was better than what WAS going to happen. Did you want me to fight it, son? Our family's been systematically chipped away by them and their sons for years now. I had to end the fighting and you would've done the same."

Alexander took a drink from the glass and Rumple could smell the whisky.

"I wasn't there for some of the most important events of her life and now I can't be there to help her process her death. Jonathan won't be here either. I know it's not your fault. But you more than anyone knows how hard it all this to-," he stopped.

"-to willingly let go of your child?"

Alex looked away, "I'm not talking about what you did to Baelfire."

"I know what you're talking about," Rumple said, "You're talking about when I gave you to the Dark Hunters."

"They were good parents," Alex said, "But by doing that, it kickstarted a lot of everything, didn't it?"

"I couldn't justify letting you go through the curse. I wanted you to have a chance and to have your own life. You got Beth out of it and you got your daughter. You ended up a hell of a lot better than if you'd stayed with me."

"Well I'm sure that's not true."

"They loved you with everything Alex."

"So, did you."

"And that's why I let you go with them."

Alex bounced his knee for a few moments, "You WILL watch over her, won't you?" 

"Of course. As much as she'll let me."

He nodded and then looked up, "Do you think you'd deliver a message to my wife?" 

"Well, we have to deliver Lizzie to her anyway."

"I'll write it down," Alexander stood up and opened the door, "Hello stepmother."

"Don't call her that, that's weird," Rumpelstiltskin pulled himself up to a sitting position to see Belle come in. He gave a nod to Milah, who wasn't that far behind her, "Where did you two go?"

"I was saying goodbye to my mother," Belle told him, "I was going to ask if she wanted to be one of the ones to leave this place but she's waiting for me and my father so we can cross together. We'll have to think of something else."

To his embarrassment, Belle put her hand on his head like she was checking for a fever, "And Gaston?"

"Not there," Milah shrugged, "Colette hasn't seen him since we all met up that last time."

"Good, at least he's leaving her alone," Belle was concerned, "You're still warm."

"I've been under the covers."

Belle nodded and kissed his forehead, "I'm going to wash up."

She went to the bathroom in the room. Milah stood there silently until they heard the bath water running, "So that deal is set then?"

"Yes," Rumpelstiltskin looked up at her, "You'll be with our son before I'll be."

"And there's no loophole around it?" she asked.

"Probably. But I can spend the next few hours reviewing and thinking of it but where will that leave you?"

"You don't care about us," Milah scoffed.

"On the contrary, he threatened to break your whole family up if I didn't sign. You may not have been my immediate priority but you were a factor."

Milah laughed bitterly and then grew serious, "Why should you care?" 

"Because I took your life," he told her honestly, "Nothing you did comes close to the things I've done. And while the love I had for you faded a long time ago, I greatly regret what I did to you. I've seen how happy your family has made you, and it's only right that I try to redeem myself by insuring you aren't taken away from your family because of me _again."_

Milah looked almost touched by what he told her and then she drew a shaky breath, "I know I wasn't the wife I should have been and I'm sorry for how I left things when you were human. I should have at least told you that I was leaving."

"I wish you had," he said, "We could've eventually worked something out between us about Bae."

"I didn't know Killian had done that to you in the boat," she told him, "I swear to you that I didn't."

"I believe you."

300 years ago, he would've been too angry at her to see reason but now that they'd both seemed to have grown up a bit, he could see she was genuine in her protest that she didn't know he had been humiliated on that ship for not getting himself killed.

Milah glanced down and cleared her throat, "I can't say I'll ever really be kind to you, Rumpelstiltskin. But I will do my best to be civil for what you'd done for us last night."

He nodded, "That's all I want. If you haven't noticed, we'll probably be stuck together in this bubble for a time."

Milah smiled a bit, "Well, probably not for too long."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when all this is done and you're all gone above world, we're going to try and go home. We're not going to be hiding anymore."

"Is this your idea?"

"No, but I support it. Liam wants to, and so does Graham. He shouldn't have to look outside and remember that's where he killed his attacker."

Rumpelstiltskin could understand that, "What will become of this place, do you think?"

"Put _her_ in here," Milah said, her demeanor darkened as she referred to Regina, "She'll have all she needs in this place and can summon what she doesn't have with magic. She won't have to see anyone, and we won't have to see her."

"Rather works out for you then, doesn't it?"

"Not until she crosses over," Milah said and went to go downstairs.

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When Emma got back, her mother had already left to say her goodbyes to Regina. And with Graham being so skittish, she knew that he wouldn't be in the mood to hear what she had to say. So, she sat outside on the porch and glanced over to see Mina join her, "My father and my husband are making plans for when they cross over."

Emma smiled, "Do they even know what's on the other side?"

"They've no clue, they're trying to plan for _everything_ " Mina lit a cigarette, "I needed a break."

Emma summoned two drinks and Mina took one and knocked it back, "So, we're planning on pulling out tomorrow if everything goes to plan tonight."

"Better to regroup and find a way out of this thousand-year thing," Mina agreed.

"What are you going to do after we're gone?"

"Find a way out of this thousand-year thing," Mina told her, "Probably find my own home and get to know this district."

Emma blinked, "What about this place?"

"There's rumblings that the others want to pick up their lives," Mina watched the setting sun, "And there was talk of sending Regina here."

Emma heard the distaste in her voice and didn't have to be told to know that Mina would rather talk to Dracula again than live and protect Regina, "Why not live with the Jones family?"

"I need to clear my head before making decisions about the Jones family and what my relationship will be to a certain pirate member. He thinks he'll stay a thousand years for me."

Emma shrugged, "Well, when he loves, he loves with everything."

"I'd give us twenty years before it all collapsed. I mean, at least until we tried again."

"Twenty years is a nice number," Emma started and then sighed, "You know, out of a thousand."

"We're just still so different," Mina muttered, "I want to see where it goes, but I know that once you all are gone and I'm without my family, that depression is going to set it. I'm not going to promise him anything until I've built myself up from that.

Emma glanced over at her and let her mind wander for a moment. To consider 'what if'. They had decided against it when they met again, they had agreed it wouldn't work out. But there was a part of Emma that regretted not seeing where it could've gone with her before she got together for good with Neal.

But a thousand years was a long time. Too long for Neal to wait for her, she would want him to move on in that time because she knew waiting so long was unrealistic. Mina and Jonathan hadn't worked out in eight years. How could she work it out with Neal after a millennia?

Maybe. It would be a hell of a healthy relationship than one Emma would risk getting with Killian. That had sailed a long time ago.

For now, it was just a thought, nothing more. She was blissfully happy with Neal and it would be years before Emma was ever at the point of moving on if they didn't find a way out of it and she was stuck here.

"The sun's setting," Mina sighed.

Emma nodded, "It's almost over."

Mina glanced down to find her drink full again and choked back tears, "And I bury my husband and father again."

She knocked the drink back and stood up.

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For a place centered on crossing over, one would think that it'd be a lot easier to find.

But thankfully Liam knew exactly where it was. He had taken patrons drunk, celebrating finally getting to move on there and he helped them cross over.

Which was quite a feat since the pathway that led to the door guarding Elysium was over a pit of high reaching flames.

"I would've thought the door that led to heaven would be a bit more ornate," Mina whispered to Emma as they looked at the wooden door.

"Maybe it's an Indiana Jones thing," Emma said, remembering that the holy grail in that movie was a simple carpenter's cup instead of the ornate ones that were false to test those that were worthy.

Mina gave her a confused look.

"It's not relation to Killian and Liam," Emma said quickly.

Mina looked more confused than ever.

"Right on time," Hades said as he and Persephone walked down the staircase they'd just entered from, "you lot are punctual."

Emma felt Neal put a hand on her arm.

"I gather that everyone's signed the contract that needed to?"

Rumpelstiltskin pulled it out of his pocket and handed the rolled-up contract to the lord of the underworld. Hades snatched it from him and looked at the last page before he was satisfied and gave it to his wife.

"Where's Henry and the new dead one?" Hades asked.

"Regina decided to stay away," Emma told him, not taking her eyes off either one of them, "It's best for everyone involved."

Graham had wanted to come and say goodbye to Granny and Jonathan (Everyone had wanted to say goodbye to Jonathan, they had to stop on the way so Henry could give him a hug.).

It stood that if Graham wanted to be there, Regina could not. Regina had wanted to support Red for saying goodbye to her grandmother but she knew the risk and knew that she couldn't ask Graham to face her again. Even if she wanted to, she'd been outvoted by the family that was down here with her after Regina's friends left.

And Henry stayed behind because of who the fourth would be.

"So, I'm counting two of four, who is crossing over exactly?" 

"I am," Granny said.

"That's three, where's four?"

Emma held out her hand. A box that had been buried in dirt for less than 3 days appeared, accompanied by muffled screams for help.

"He's crossing over," Emma told Hades.

"He doesn't sound that happy about it," Hades smirked.

"You never said they had a choice."

Hades smiled wider and waved his hand, "Let's deal with him first, then."

The magic around the box broke and Pan threw the coffin lid open and scrambled out of it, breathing the fresh air. He saw Hades and bowed, "My lord Hades, they-"

Hades exhaled a breath, like he was extinguishing a candle. Pan flew backwards, off the ledge and into the flames below.

Everyone, even the two gods in front of them, looked relieved.

"Now to business," Hades cleared his throat and folded his hands in front of him, "As much as it pains me to say it for two of you, your duties in life have rewarded you're fate in death. You have been granted permission to pass peacefully from this place into Elysium, a paradise where you have loved ones and where your loved ones will eventually join you."

Persephone looked down and tugged her sleeve.

"I will never forgive you all for what you've done, but fate is fate and I have to endure that perhaps we played some part in how things turned out. I do not like it but a contract is a contract and I will honor the terms set last night. Safe passage is yours."

The door opened. A blinging light shone through. Emma looked up to see a field of flowers waiting for them with mountains in the distance.

"I'll at least grant you the right to say goodbye to your loved ones," Hades told them and stepped away, taking his wife and guards with him.

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Granny went to embrace her family and caressed Snow and Red's faces, "Look at you two, both of you are so beautiful, you're both so strong and I'm so proud of you.

Tears slipped down both of their faces, Red hugged her again, sobbing, "I love you, granny."

"I love you too," Granny held her, "You're going to be fine."

"Not without you."

"You're going to live to be better than I was, you're going to have a full life and be happy."

Red pulled away and wiped her eyes, "Goodbye Granny. I love you so much."

"I love you too."

Red stood back and waited for Snow and Charming to hug her goodbye.

And she ran and hugged her again.

00000000000000000000000000000000

While everyone else crowded around Jonathan to tell him goodbye, Alex hugged his first father goodbye, "I love you, papa."

"I love you too." He pulled away and took in his son's face, "I have the messages, I'll find a way to reach your wife, I promise."

"Well if there's anyone that knows about jumping worlds, it's you."

Rumpelstiltskin caressed his son's face before lightly and playfully slapping it.

"Hey," Neal came up and shoved his hands in his pockets, "I'm sorry that we…that you and I never got the chance to know each other."

"Me too," Alex told him honestly.

"Be safe," Neal told him.

"You too."

"I don't know about that; I'll probably just enjoy the downtime until the next threat happens."

Baelfire didn't hug his brother that he had only just met goodbye, but they did part ways with a civil handshake before Alex moved on to his daughter. They didn't say anything at first, he still felt that awkwardness and that disconnect from their relationship that she had when she was 16 and innocent to his past.

But the look that passed between them, to him, said all it needed to say and he embraced her as tightly as she embraced him, "I love you so much, little one." 

"I don't want you to go," she told him.

"I don't either," he assured her, "But we have to honor the contract so that you and your friends are safe."

He pulled away and saw she was trying to be strong, and he knew why she wasn't breaking down. She still had yet to say goodbye to Jonathan and she wanted to be together for him.

"I will take care of him," he promised her.

"Make sure he's happy," she begged him, "Make sure he finds someone that he deserves."

He looked back at all the people that had just told him goodbye, "I don't think that'll be a problem, little one. He seems to make friends easily."

He kissed her forehead and reluctantly pulled away. He gave her another glance to memorize her face before he gave Jonathan his chance to say goodbye.

Jonathan eyes filled with tears as he stood in front of his wife, "I know that we ended it before Hades...ended our chance for reconciliation. But I want you to know that there will never be anyone that I love more than I love you."

She nearly broke right then as he took her hand and played with it with both of his. He was embarrassed to tell her that, and it hurt her that she'd broken his heart right before they had to say goodbye.

"You were the best of us," Mina took both his hands with the one he was toying with, "I was lost for a long time without you."

"And you went and found your own family."

Mina smiled, "And you'll find one of your own in there."

"But I won't love her like I love you," he told her, "It'll be different."

"Different loves are alright. You only get one soulmate but You can have more than one true love"

He met her gaze, "Yes you can."

And he'd given her his blessing to move on, just as she'd given him hers. She held his hand tighter and struggled to find words to say.

"I love you more than anyone too," she told him honestly, "When I lost you, a chunk of my soul was gone that I could never get back."

He kissed the back of her hands, "At least we had this opportunity to see each other again."

Mina nodded, it gave her closure but at the same time it opened up more wounds that she would have to heal again, "Not many get things like this.

Many just got to be reunited when they died with no problems like minotaur's or imprisonments.

Jonathan looked back at the door, "Do you think our baby's alive in there?"

"I don't know, I hope so."

"I'll find them if they are," he promised, "And I'll tell them how brave their mother was."

Mina blushed and looked down, "I'm not brave, sweetheart. There were several years I was insanely violently angry."

"But you're not now." 

"I'm broken"

"You're whole to me."

It wasn't much to be called whole by someone that had gone a bit mad inside the institution. He said it with such kindness and earnest love that Mina kissed him passionately, which he returned and only pulled away when Alex put his hand on Jonathan's arm.

Jonathan snuck in two more kisses before they pulled away. Mina held onto his hand until it was impossible to do so with him walking away. She kept on a brave face as they kept looking back. She heard Jonathan muse at 'what if he'd fathered a daughter?' to Alex and they approached Granny, who was giving Belle pointers on how to help Red manage the books because sometimes she was impossible with numbers.

"Rumpelstiltskin approached Mina attentively, "I gave them a picture of you and your baby from Emma's phone that she'd taken during one of the few peaceful moments we had when Dracula was there.

Mina nodded, "Thank you."

Rumpelstiltskin turned and slipped something in her hand. She looked down to see a photograph of her father and husband and her that Rumpelstiltskin had secretly taken while the three of them were talking at breakfast.

"It's for you."

So, she wouldn't forget what they looked like again.

Mina looked up and watched as they disappeared into a light that enveloped them. The door closed on its own, rendering everyone silent.

Mina closed her eyes and lets the tears pour down her face silently.

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When Hades was effectively sure that they were done with the heavy sobbing, he went to stand in front of them, "So…when are you leaving?"

"In the morning," Emma wiped the tears away and cleared her throat, "As long as we're sure that the deal is still on and the Jones family and Mina will be safe."

"We keep our word," Persephone hissed.

"If we didn't, the lot of you would be dead," Hades told them, "From this moment on, I forbid you to speak about how you killed our children as it endangers the ones who have done nothing to you. In return, we'll make sure they do…nothing to you"

"Well it's not like we were all going to write a book," Emma muttered.

Hades and Persephone sent her a hateful glare.

"Be gone before noon," Hades told them and used his magic to take he and his wife and guards away from that place.

Surely this was it. Surely, they were safe now.

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When Red and Emma got back to the old Jones house, Red had showered, broken down in the shower, ate what little food she could stomach before she joined Regina upstairs for what she knew was their last time together. Once Henry was in bed, Regina was there with her.

There had been an intimacy there on their last night that both of them tried to memorize so that they could hold onto it while they were apart.

Red wasn't going to sleep that night. She lay on her stomach with her head resting on Regina's arm. Regina used that hand to stroke Red's hair. Red had her arm flung over Regina and had her fingers entwined with Regina's other hand.

"I think I've solved how I'm going to redeem myself," Regina said.

Red was pulled out of her thoughts and looked at Regina, "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to be mayor here."

"Do you think that's a good idea?" Red asked, "And with your mother lurking?"

Regina was too tired to be offended by that question, "I think that this my chance to do some good for the people that have been hurt by my mother and that I've hurt. I could make this place better.

"Sounds like you're settling in already."

"I can't let myself stop, I'll think about it all," Regina looked over to her, "If I think about the fact I've been killed, and I've lost you and Henry then I'll probably lose it and I can't. Not with my mother running around. I have to work. I have to find a way to make up for what I've done."

I'm glad to hear it," Red squeezed her hand, "It'll be a nice thing to come down to when I die."

"Maybe I'd have a thousand-year term, wouldn't that be something?"

"It'd be something."

More silence passed, "That's a lot of pressure."

0000000000000000

When they all went their separate ways, Emma went to the Jones house and hugged Henry for a long long time. She really needed him tonight but this was his last night with his other mom….so Emma had to make a sacrifice and go home without him.

When she got to the house, her parents were sitting in the living room. They had tea together, silently, and Emma went upstairs to check on the friend that she would also be saying goodbye to in the morning as well. When she found Mina curled up in a small ball on the bed, she immediately went downstairs to get some tea and bring it up to her friend.

"I think it's going to be a girl's night," Emma told Neal when she found him downstairs with her parents.

"Okay," Neal rubbed her leg, "Tell her I'm sorry."

"I will," Emma kissed the top of his head and took the tea up to Mina.

She passed Graham in the hallway. When he saw her, he tensed and went to move so that she could pass by.

"I hear you're going home tomorrow."

"Yeah, if she's gone," Graham said.

"Emma shifted from one foot to the other, "She wants to talk to you…to apologize for what she did."

Graham immediately shook his head, "No. No, you can't ask me to do that."

"Okay, hey," Emma held up her hands, "It was always going to be your choice."

"What to make her feel better? Like an apology will make up for everything she did? She doesn't get to have closure. I know I won't."

"Okay."

At her quiet acceptance, his face crumbled, "I don't like being like this."

"I know."

"I'm sorry."

"it's not your fault," Emma went to hug him, "None of what happened is your fault."

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When Emma was done comforting Graham, she slipped into Mina's room and put the tea down on the nightstand. She didn't think it'd do a lot of good for Mina now, it was cold.

"Hey," Emma greeted her.

She was awake, but she didn't say anything.

"Is it okay if I crash in here with you tonight?"

"If you want," Mina whispered.

Emma kicked off her boots and went to slip in the covers. It wasn't until her eyes adjusted better to the dark that she saw a pirate shaped lump sleeping on the couch beside Mina's bed, "When did that come in?"

"Earlier," Mina told her like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh," Emma felt her eyes slowly close.

Maybe things would work out between them somehow

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And then in the darkness, Emma's eyes shot open.

There was something wrong.

Emma sat up and looked around the room. Mina slept with her back facing her. Killian slept on the couch with his arm thrown dramatically over his eyes. Everything in the room seemed okay.

Emma pulled herself out of the bed and went to slip out of the door. She scanned the hall, checking doors as she went. Her phone was silent, Henry hadn't called.

Maybe, hopefully, it was a bad dream.

She passed Neal in the hallway, "Hey, you not in bed yet? We have an early start tomorrow."

"What are YOU doing up?" Neal asked.

Before Emma could respond, he kissed her. Emma was taken aback by the possessiveness of the kiss but immediately brushed it off, "I got this sense that something was wrong, so I got up to check things."

"Nothing's going on downstairs, let's go to bed." 

His hand clamped on her wrist, in a tight way that Neal would never do. If he wanted to go to bed, he'd have held her hand.

But he knew that Emma had wanted to stay with Mina tonight.

Emma's eyes darkened, "You're not Neal."

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In the darkness of his room, Hades sat up with a start moments before the door flew open and his messenger ran in.

He didn't need to hear him to know what was wrong.

Zeus was here.

 **A/N: I am so sorry it's been so long. Since the show ended, I sort of lost the must for a while (I hadn't watched in like two years but still). I'm slowly trying to get it and my writing back.**

 **And writing Jonathan moving on was super emotional and I wasn't looking forward to it.**


End file.
